


Easy to Find - C1 - Commit Yourself Completely

by Moiderah



Series: Easy to Find - SayakaQuest 2 [2]
Category: Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika | Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Genre: Adulthood, Coming of Age, F/F, F/M, Future Fic, Gen, Illustrations, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Multi, Next Generation, Nonbinary Character, Original Character(s), Other, POV Second Person, Parenthood, Post-Canon, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Queer Themes, Quest, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-09-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:13:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 18
Words: 61,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26070205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moiderah/pseuds/Moiderah
Summary: Kyouko and Sayaka have been magi for twenty years. They have a child named Minako, a rambunctious little teenager who just discovered that they're incredibly gay for a girl named Takane.The only problem is that Takane is a magical girl.The secret that Minako's mothers kept hidden from them is about to fall apart. And the system that Sayaka and Kyouko have openly defied for decades is about to come in the form of a six-winged seraphim upon the holy wings of her Glow.
Relationships: Akemi Homura/Kaname Madoka, Miki Sayaka/Sakura Kyouko
Series: Easy to Find - SayakaQuest 2 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1892605
Comments: 13
Kudos: 15





	1. You Had Your Soul With You

**Author's Note:**

> Content Warning: SQ2 involves intense violence, themes of parenthood, systemic oppression, strong language, bigotry and more mature themes, considering that the main cast is now twenty years older. They're adults and they will act like adults.
> 
> There are events in this story that will be thematically and emotionally distressing.
> 
> SayakaQuest 2 is a story about families enduring through intense hardships.
> 
> Also yes, there are illustrations in this story. I drew these ages ago; I'm not leaving them unposted.
> 
> Similarly one of the main villains is a transphobic cult leader, with all that entails.

You have been a magical girl being for twenty years. And currently you’re pretty fucking sick of it.  
  
Your power hadn’t quite plateaued like you thought it would after the first few months of combat. Rather, it got more streamlined, more refined. And, as it turns out, pulling influence from actual armor manuals helped to refine some of your skills. Different kinds of weapons, bigger ones that could fill multiple roles. You started with a falchion, but your arsenal expanded to fit more needs, more roles.  
  
Your wife’s much the same way. Polearms became halberds became glaives became pikes and needles and _grappling hooks_. Both of you have learned to create better armor, better uniforms for different situations.  
  
And right now, you’re putting that practice to good use.  
  
You are a flash of blue and gold, and your armor’s long since grown past any kind of old video game you might have played ages before. Your cape is white, an intricate flash of glimmering gold patterns dancing from top to bottom. Your chestplate looks like the finest work of Henry VIIIth’s craftsmen, and honestly you could not be prouder. Your sabatons clash against the floor, blue leather boots underneath scraping against a technicolor flash of light and sound. In your right hand is a falchion, in your left a folding kite shield.  
  
[Then a gigantic fist comes careening towards your head.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W11v2ucZ_LM)  
  
You flash your shield up. The fingertips scrape just overhead, your shield against stone forearm as the weight of a freight train squeals just over your scalp. You cackle as the hand tumbles through the air before pivoting your feet against the floor. Your heel stays in place as you stretch your off-leg forward. You tilt the shield, and suddenly the entire disembodied arm crashes to the ground.  
  
The dust flickers all around you, gigantic, jittering stones among the landscape as the buildings fold and unfold around you, and in the center is a stop-motion statue. A towering image of _Venus_ , arms gone, head held by a thread. Fishing lines shimmer faintly over your head as you flick the shield around.  
  


The strap breaks, only for the shield to compact itself. There’s a clank and a hiss as it compresses just enough to cover your torso; there’s no need for the rest of it right now.  
  
The head grinds against the neck stump, the blank eyes of a Roman statue glancing towards you as you run across an impossibly large canvas. The ground bends beneath you as you run, and another hand drags its fingers across the canvas in an attempt to strike you.  
  
A nice attempt. But that’s just it, an attempt. You whip yourself around, slip your falchion into a scabbard on your waist, and punch the shield. It extends into a kite before a second hit turns it into a tower with little merlons just over the top, giving it the impression of a castle turret. You plunge the base of the tower into the canvas, tearing a hole in its fabric.  
  
The hand then strikes your shield. Your forearms shatter, but it’s nothing a little bit of magic can’t fix, and this is exactly what you thought would happen. The canvas underneath is torn asunder, the fabric ripped apart, paint thrown into the sky as you slide across oil that’s been layered far, far too thick. The momentum carries you backwards and the hand stops, as though the Witch has realized exactly what it did. The eyes keep watch over the new hole in the canvas as you’re thrown backwards at high speed, right past a piece of wiry, flipping fishing wire.  
  
_Perfect_.  
  
Your forearms take just a second to heal (one of the reasons you wear armor) and you quickly whip the falchion right out, pulling the handle as it forms a perfect grip. You smack into the fishing wire, the handle pulls itself shut, and you whip wildly around the handle and slide at high speed across the rainbow sky.  
  
The witch bends, bust over legs under head as it screams in agony. You ruined her painting! You ruined her magnum opus! She drags her finger in rage across the surface before tearing the entire frame apart in a frenzy.  
  
But all the while she hasn’t noticed you sliding at high speed towards her torso. You unhook your blade and quickly flip.  
  
The arm snips right off the fishing wire, and what was once a flexing, moving hand suddenly freezes, now turned to stone. The hand collapses through another painting, and the witch takes notice of the ant running up her shoulder. She whips another hand around, palm open, fingers splayed, ready to take you out.  
  
Except now you leap. The hand whooshes beneath you as you throw your shield into the air.  
  
It flies open, first to a kite, then to tower. You whip your falchion around before plunging it into the base of your shield. There’s a click, then a whirrrrrr, then a flash of light. The tip of your sword flicks out of the base of the shield,as the mechanisms elongate the entire thing. The hilt of your falchion twists outwards before stretching out perfectly, forming an enormous, hideously sized curved sword.  
  
The witch has no time to react as you suddenly crash into the torso, blade biting into stone. The crack ruuuuuns through the witch at the speed of sound, cleaving the torso in twain and causing little chunks of stone to fly into the air. The witch makes a sound that you almost think is analogous to swearing, and at the center, as a perfect sphere of obsidian, is the heart, just a little bit smaller than your head.  
  
You waste no time as you grip the core of the witch and crush.  
  
The stone shatters, and then so does the witch, first with a series of cracks before dissolving to powder. The Labyrinth vanishes around you before the grief seed, a mutated, half-baked thing, hits the ground. Three seeds, all haphazardly slammed together, fused by a twisted, warped cage.  
  
“Another Walpurgis,” you mutter. They’ve been appearing more frequently. You suspect that it’s probably related to how you and your wife have messed with the Incubators’ systems. That tends to happen when you tell them to fuck off.  
  
You are Miki Sayaka. You are one of the oldest magical girls in Japan, and probably the world. Twenty years ago, you killed one of the worst witches the world had ever seen. Nine years ago, you stopped aging. Your kid is now 14 years old.  
  
Your armor dissolves in the alleyway (and honestly it’s for the best; you don’t want to look like a cosplay today) and you flick your hair around. You kept your bob cut; honestly, you quite like it that way, and you think 14-year-old you had the right idea. It’s a damn fine haircut. You are currently dressed in a suit. A very, very fancy suit with gold trim, a blue necktie, and a black undershirt. You have two rings on your hand, some very, very subtle eyeliner and some dark blue lipstick.  
  
You look extremely handsome and more than a little gay. Which is exactly what you wanted. You don’t usually dress up this much but...yeah, that’s right, you were going to meet up with Kyouko for a date. An anniversary date.  
  
She’s pretty low-maintenance. She can do whatever, whenever. But you? You like to spoil her. When you can afford to, of course.  
  
But this is special. Twenty years together, and you had a very specific place in mind. You check your phone. A glance says it’s fifteen minutes.  
  
[Cool.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBcVrb-snPk) You can make that. You spread your stance just a little bit and you take a step forwards at a hundred kilometers per hour.  
  
You’ve never needed a car in your life, nor will you ever. You make a soaring leap into the air and kick off of a nearby concrete skyscraper. The momentum carries you into the air past rippling glass and the occasional surprised onlooker. You’ve never cared that much; anyone who’d remember already knows who you are, and those that didn’t? They’ll forget in an hour.  
  


  
Your feet touch a lamp post and you kick off of it. The thing wobbles as your weight passes by, taking great care not to topple them onto the cars passing below you. To your right, at the end of the twenty-lane superhighway that runs in the center of Mitakihara, is a massive statue. A gigantic black grief seed, easily the size of your old school. Everyone thinks of it as a strange art exhibit.  
  
You know that it’s what’s left of Walpurgisnacht.  
  
You slide between a pair of buildings. You stretch your hand out and grab someone’s balcony railing. There’s a couple making out at the edge, two boys who don’t seem to notice you. The railing creaks as your hand slides across the metal, and you swing right around the balcony towards the next street over.  
  
Your eyes scan the road below as you run across a nearby wall. There are a few cars here and there, but for the most part, Mitakihara is run by trains. And speaking of, you can see one right now on a rail that hangs fifteen meters over the city. You leap to the side and onto a slow maglev as it drifts past buildings and right towards exactly where you wanted to go.  
  
It’s an old mall; the former record holder for the largest mall in the world, beaten out by one that was only fifty kilometers away on the other side of town. You leap off the train, put your feet to a nearby rail, and let it griiiiiiiiind your way towards the floor. You hit the concrete hard, but a quick roll takes care of that. You flip forwards, right onto your feet, cracking your knuckles and rolling your neck.  
  
You could probably just hit the ground and crack concrete, but honestly that’s just a pain for everyone involved. Standing by the automatic doorway is an old friend of yours with an orange tank top and a messy, mane-like head of bright red. She glances towards you, muscular arms folded over her chest, before giving you a smirk. “Been here for the past twenty minutes!”  
  
“Nice.” You give Akane a thumbs-up and walk past her. “Where’s your husband?”  
  
“He’s home.” She gives you a grin. “Oh, and if you were wondering-”  
  
“I wasn’t.” You nod. “Thanks for keeping the peace.”  
  
“Hey, I ain’t gonna let anyone interrupt your anniversary.” She gives you a pat on the back. “Oh and she ain’t here yet. Buuuuuuut if you wanna surprise her~”  
  
Yeah, of course she’s late. “Heh, honestly? I was hoping she’d be late.” You walk by her. “Gives me time to pose.” You start past her, only for Akane to stop you again with a grab of your shoulder.  
  
“Oh, one more thing!” She pulls out a single rose, blue and red. The perfect blue and red.  
  
You stare at her, then at the rose, then back at her. And then you slooooooowly grin. “...you’re amazing.”  
  
You take the rose and she gives you a nod as you rush inside. The entire mall is filled to bursting with people from all over the district, and you weave and dodge past a sea of bodies. Through a hallway, under an escalator, by an elevator, and then finally, at the oldest part of the mall, you find it.  
  
You stick the rose in your teeth and lean against a DDR machine...and you wait...and you wait…  
  
And you wait…  
  
You check your phone. It’s now five minutes past the agreed time.  
  
Honestly, you kind of expected that.  
  
Another minute...and finally, you see a mane of red hair in the crowd.  
  
“Get the fuck out of the way!” A woman in a long, glimmering red dress pushes through the crowd. She’s wearing black shoes (she wouldn’t be caught dead in stilettos) with a backless halter top. She’s only an inch taller than you, but without sleeves, she shows what years of being a magical girl can do to your tone. She pushes past crowds of people and finally she stands in front of you, fake-panting in an exaggerated way.

  


She stretches her arms, lets out a loud, bellowing laugh, and grins. “Ta-fuckin’-da!”  
  
You give her a few small golf claps. You wanna say something witty, but right now, you have a rose in your mouth. And honestly it’s probably for the best.  
  
She takes a few long steps towards you and you pull the rose out from your mouth. “Hey Ko-”  
  
Kyouko doesn’t let you say any more before she grabs the back of your head and gives you a long, messy kiss on the lips. Her lipstick’s smeared against yours before she lets you go. “Hey, Saya.” Her lips are a little bit blue now.  
  
“Happy anniversary.” You give her a grin.  
  
“You know, it’s funny.” She glances behind you. “I didn’t think I was actually gonna find you in the arcade.”  
  
“Well, I mean, I almost tried dancing on the DDR machine.” You wave your hand. “But yeah. Felt appropriate. Twenty years in, the place we met~”  
  
“Too bad the old machine broke.” She sighs before tracing a hand on your cheek. “And well, it’s been a while since we played in the arcade. God, I can't believe I found you here."  
  
"Well, what can I say?" you giggle like you're fourteen again, "if I were any sappier I'd be a maple factory."  
  
Yeah, you know what you’re doing for the next hour. Your kid’s at their friend’s place, and you let them know you’d be out for a little while. So yeah, you’re going to play some video games. You don’t usually get a chance to these days.  
  
Between your job and being a magical girl, you don't get that much of a chance to relax.  
  
And god forbid you do, when you have the most potent grief seed in the world just waiting in your backyard.


	2. Incubator

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While picking up their child, Sayaka finds a peculiar creature...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has been edited from its original format; multiple posts were strung together into a single chapter.

It is now nine in the morning. And you're currently on your couch. You jerk upright, eyes forward, teeth clenched. You can feel a heavy weight on your chest, sweat beading down your brow as...wait.  
  
Wait, that's not anything severe, that's just your wife laying on your bare chest. You slump back down, and miraculously she doesn't seem to have budged. She makes some kind of noise, which soon turns into a long, loud snore.  
  
You run a hand through her hair. "Hey."  
  
She slowly slides her face across your chest before giving you a toothy smile. "Hey yourself."  
  
"...Did we take a shower?"  
  
"Nah." She wraps an arm around your waist. "I'm probably gonna feel gross in a second but we just fell asleep on the couch naked."  
  
You laugh a little and stroke her hair again. "We're probably gonna have to take a shower in a bit."  
  
"We don't got work today. And your boobs're comfy."  
  
"Yeah, but we gotta pick up Minako. They're probably waiting for us now."  
  
She groans again before sliiiiiiding off of your body and hitting the floor with a loud _thud._ "Dunwanna."  
  
"Yeah, well, we can't exactly leave them alone. Kids could be doing some crimes."  
  
Kyouko stands up and stretches her arms into the air. She yawns, exposing those fangs that you've felt many, _many_ times. "Good. They should fuckin' riot."  
  
"Koko, please." You turn to meet her. You're a slender kind of muscular, not built like Akane but not thin and wiry like Kyouko. You're way more _cut,_ toned underneath a comfortable layer of fat. You are an _athlete,_ built for intense, near-nonstop combat against supernatural opponents...oh, and Kyouko thinks you're hot. That's also important. "They don't need to make my job harder."  
  
"Mitakihara has the lowest crime rate in Japan."  
  
"That doesn't change what I said."  
  
She rolls her eyes before you stand up and kiss the back of her neck.  
  
"Oh, and I'm gonna be taking a shower if you wanna join me."  
  
She snickers. "I didn't realize there were any other options, Saka."  
  


[=]

The walk to Minako's friend's place is uneventful; the house is about two blocks down the street. You're in a heavy skirt and a sweater, your wife in a blazer, a pair of skinny jeans, and a blood-red scarf. It's starting to get colder in Mitakihara, and while it isn't snowing quite yet, you think it's going to be less than a week before it starts to get really severe.  
  
They're up three floors, at the end of the corridor. The place isn't terribly attractive by Mitakihara apartment standards, but you suspect you've been spoiled by your own penthouse. You walk towards the end of the hallway.  
  
You see something out of the corner of your eye. You almost swore you could see a fluffy white tail. Before knocking on the door, you _immediately_ rush to the side. You look out the corner of the stairwell, across a stranger's balcony.  
  
There's nothing there. Must've been a trick of the light.  
  
"The fuck were you looking for." Kyouko strolls to the side of the door.  
  
"Could've sworn I saw _it."_  
  
She blinks. Then she scowls. "Where?"  
  
"I thought I saw it out the corner of my eye." You glance around. "...Shit."  
  
"If you see it again, let me know," she hisses. "It ain't gonna touch our fucking kid." She raps her knuckles against the door.  
  
You hear the door open on the third knock, revealing a heavyset woman with chubby cheeks and a broad smile on her face. "Oh! Mrs. Miki-Sakura! Minako was wondering when you'd be here. She's been waiting all morning."  
  
"Yeah, I uh, I bet they have." Kyouko rubs the back of her head.  
  
The woman blinks, before she finally comprehends what she just said. "Oh, fuck. Right. Apologies!"  
  
"Nah, nah, it's alright, just don't make that mistake in front of them. It makes them real upset." Kyouko points a pair of fingerguns at the older woman as she strolls inside. You pass right behind her.  
  
"Oh, Sayaka." The woman smiles.  
  
"Hey Hibiki." You look inside. "Thanks for taking care of Minako."  
  
"It's not a problem. They're really well-behaved." She sighs. "I'm sorry, I really should know better."  
  
"It's an adjustment," you say back. "Kyouko took a while to get it right, too." You explicitly don't mention how many times you fucked that up yourself.  
  
"Oh, I can tell." She waves her hand. "But my daughter still loves hanging out with them. I just wonder if they're growing up yet. They _are_ just starting middle school."  
  
"Hmmm." You stare at the wall. "Yeah."  
  
"Isn't that around when you met your wife?" she asks.  
  
"Oh, it is," you say back. "We've been through a lot." You sigh.  
  
"Mmm." She sighs wistfully. "To go back to those days..."  
  
"Eh, I don't miss it that much." You turn to the living room. "Oh, do you mind if-"  
  
"Go ahead!" The woman motions for you to go to the living room. You enter, and there, on the carpet playing Mario Kart 19, is your child.  
  
They're whooping and hollering as Mario and his friends bound across the track at high speed, weaving through hoops and throwing shells and some other kinds of items that you've never seen before. Right next to them is Kyouko with a controller in her hand.  
  
"Aha! Almost gotcha!" The screen floats just in front of Kyouko's face as she does a dramatic-looking slide across the ground. Your child, meanwhile, bumps her with a gigantic, Bowser-fueled boost. "Aw, _what?!"_  
  
"Haha, fuckin' eat it, Mama!"  
  
"Language," you say. Your kid freezes, and it's just enough for them to lose control of their kart and careen into the water. You giggle as they grumble and grouse.

  


"Hey, it's just a little trash talk." Kyouko leans back. "Your kid's gettin' good at it, aren't they?"  
  
Your kid finishes the race in third, and right behind them, their friend claps her hands. "Oooh, too bad. You were doing sooooo good, too~"  
  
"Shut up." Minako pouts. "It was mom-sanctioned intervention. You didn't _win."_  
  
The kid, a turquoise-haired young girl dressed in a black Mitakihara uniform, gives her a shrug. "Hey, you still won most of the races."  
  
"And I won this one. Y'all kids ain't _shit_ compared to me," Kyouko cackles.  
  
"Hey, we were gonna do some shopping." You nod towards the door. "Like we got stuff to do."  
  
Minako stands up and, while they look like they're pouting, they can't help but giggle a little as Kyouko drops the controller. "Later, Reika!"  
  
"Later, Mina."  
  
You all leave the room, and you give Minako a little pat on their shoulder. "So I'm guessing you had a good time?"  
  
"Yeaaaaah..." Your kid kinda shrugs as you leave the apartment. "I mean I did. I really did."  
  
"Hrm...?"  
  
They stare at you, then at their Mama. Kyouko takes a brief look backwards.  
  
You do have something on your mind...and honestly it can't be put off for that long. You take a deep breath. Don't pry too hard. Don't go too deep. Minako isn't pissed at you yet but you know how quickly you can get on their bad side. You were a teenager once. "So didja just play Mario Kart the whole time?"  
  
"Nah," Minako stretches their arms behind their head, "I mean we also saw a really bad movie."  
  
You chuckle. "I used to do that."  
  
"Used to? Saya, you took me to see _'You Are...Am I?'_ last _week!"_ Kyouko cackles. "I can't believe that guy still makes movies."  
  
"I mean he's kinda gotten a little better..." you leave out the part where the director used a swarm of drones for a whole bunch of camera shots, and wound up wildly flicking between different angles at random. It was _bizarre.  
_  
"Nah. He ain't." Kyouko sighs.  
  
Minako glances to you. "Why didn't you take me to see it? I can do violence."  
  
"There was nudity," you cross your arms "That's a no-go."  
  
"I can handle boobs, mom."  
  
In the back of your mind, you are 90% sure your kid has seen porn before. You are also 200% sure you _really_ don't want to think about that. _**Christ.**_ "Maybe you can. Maybe you can't. But I'm not taking you to see an R-rated movie until I know you can handle it, and I don't think you can yet. Let alone something as _inept_ as a Breen film."  
  
They pause. "...Wait, Breen made a new movie? We watched _Pass Thru."  
_  
"Oh." you pause to consider the fact that your kid watched Neil Breen walk dramatically through a field of corpses while triumphant music played.  
  
"It was...it was an experience."  
  
Kyouko cackles. "I bet it was!" She sighs. "So it was that-"  
  
"Oh, her mom cooked chicken parm. Kinda burned it, though. The cheese was blackened."  
  
You grimace. "Hm. Oh, uh, unrelated," you round a corner and start walking down the stairs "but did you see a small fluffy animal outside? I thought I saw a cat outside your friend's apartment." Innocuous. Shouldn't raise any alarms.  
  
"There was a cat?!" Minako perks up, and honestly your kid is _adorable_ when they're near an animal. They glance around, looking for the _godforsaken_ creature. "Awww, I thought this apartment banned pets!"  
  
"Nah, it would've been a stray," Kyouko follows you down the stairs, "probably eats rats n' shit. This part of town tends to have a problem with strays."  
  
"They treat me pretty well though," Minako breaths through their nose as their foot hits the brick walkway, "they'll hiss when they meet you but they tend to warm up pretty quickly."  
  
"Hm," you lean towards Kyouko as you follow Minako down the stairway, "reminds me of someone."  
  
"Yeah, wonder who," Kyouko rolls her eyes, but can't stop herself from grinning.  
  
"You're cute, you know that?"  
  
Your child retches, and Kyouko just laughs again. "Bitch, I'm adorable."  
  
"Yes. You are," you kiss Kyouko on the cheek. "Oh! I still need to get some stuff from the market. We're running low on chicken and rice."  
  
"Right right," Kyouko waves her hand, "I wanted to try that ramen recipe tonight."  
  
"Ehhh..." Minako stuffs their hands into their pockets.  
  
"Hey, don't worry, we can just go to like an arcade or something," Kyouko bares her fang.  
  
"Better," Minako smirks. "Later, mom!"  
  
You wave as you split off. "See you at the apartment."  
  


[=]

The next couple of hours are uneventful, following a quick walk back and a few trips to a nearby market for food. You follow the brick road towards the apartment that you've spent the past few years living at. Minako and Kyouko split off to do some arcade prowling and maybe a bit of shopping.  
  
You tend to keep your groceries in your left hand, and you keep your right free. Just in case.  
  
And as though to prove your point, you see something scurry out the corner of your eye as you walk by an open alleyway. You stop and stare. And then slowly, you take a step in. You can handle a mugger. You can handle assault easily. But you don't think it's either of those.  
  
You keep your paper bag tight to your body as you walk through the blackened alleyway, eyes glancing around for that _lying little sack of shit.  
_  
You see nothing. It's hard to see in this alley; the skyscrapers barely reflect any light, and the old brick of this district of Mitakihara hardly lets any of it bleed down into the alley. You turn around, keeping a close eye on the end of the alley.  
  
Then from the shadows, a pair of pink eyes open up. They blink once, then twice, as a furry white creature steps out, as though it were a cat.  
  
But you know better.  
  


  
_'It's been 479 days, Miki Sayaka. How is your family doing?'  
_  
In a heartbeat, a falchion materializes in your free hand. The blade extends down the alleyway, fast enough to cause a puddle of water to ripple as the air rushes just over the surface. A ringing echoes through the air, as the tip of your oversized weapon hovers just in front of _It's_ left eye.  
  
_'That well?'_ The creature doesn't move as it flicks its tail around. _'I simply wanted to tell you of an event which might interest you. For the sake of fairness, of cou-'  
  
'Fuck your offers. Either you get the hell out of my sight, or I put this,' _you lightly press the center of his forehead with the tip of your blade, just hard enough to draw blood, _'between your eyes.'  
  
'We both know you're going to do that anyway, Miki,' _the creature keeps staring, _'but I simply wanted to tell you of some happenings in Kasamino.'  
  
'I already know about the latest witch burst there.'  
  
'That isn't what I wanted to talk about, Miki.' _The creature flicked its tail. _'I do not care what you do with this information. I simply wished to do you a favor.'_

You know that this thing's words are poison. But yet you still feel like giving it a chance. This is probably not actually that great a plan...but then again you weren't built on good ideas. You're built on action and course correction. _'You have a fifty-word limit.'  
  
'There's a chance that there is a growing coalition in Kasamino. I know witches are a non-threat to you and Kyouko, given that you easily dealt with a Walpurgis-class last night,' _There's a pregnant pause before it continues. _'There is a gang built on extortion and witch farming in Kasamino.'_  
  
"Good to know." You grip the blade. "Kyouko and I have dealt with that sort of thing before." You press it forward. "Goodbye."  
  
_'I still have some words le-'_  
  
You don't care. You click a hidden trigger in your sword and the blade _rockets_ forward. Its head doesn't so much get impaled as _explode_ with the force, sending red giblets and bits of fur across the alleyway as the tip of your sword rips right through its fluffy, empty head and hits the ground behind it with a meaty _chunk_ and a shower of concrete shards. The body shuffles for a second before falling over as bits of red fluff float uselessly through the air.  
  
You have better things to do than listen to a compulsory liar. Your blade dissolves and you throw the handle across the ground before it scatters into sparkling dust. You take a few steps out of the alleyway, jaw tight, your hand gripping your groceries tighter than ever.  
  


[=]

You open the door to your home to see Kyouko leaning on the couch and Minako with their legs tucked under a kotatsu. Minako glances away from the TV to give you a brief wave, while Kyouko weakly raises her arms up from the couch.  
  
"Sayaaaaaaaa..." she whines.  
  
You walk by to give her a kiss on the lips. "Hey~."  
  
"Hey, yourself." She opens her eyes, but when hers meet yours her expression turns stony, _'...Kyubey.'_ It's not a question, it's not a declaration. It's a ice-cold statement, and you can feel the hate bubbling underneath.  
  
_'Yeah,'_ you give her another kiss, this time on the cheek, to try and keep Minako from catching on, _'the bastard ran into me as I was walking home.'  
  
'So that _was _him at Hibiki's. I fucking knew it.'_  
  
You reach the kitchen, walk past the half-wall and towards the fridge. You robotically start putting food away, _'He said something about another gang war bubbling in Kasamino.'  
  
'Anything new about this one?'  
  
'Not that I know of. Just the same kind of extortion and murder as the other ones.' _Your hand grips a milk carton tightly, maybe a little too tightly. You put it in the fridge before you cause the thing to burst.  
  
_'If they come over here-'  
  
'They won't.' _Some cheese goes into the fridge next. Then a carton of eggs. _'I won't let them.'  
  
'Oh for-please don't tell me you're going to waltz on over-'  
  
'I'm not going to leave you behind, Kyouko.' _You glance back to give her a hard stare. _'I'm not leaving Mitakihara. There are too many unknowns for me to feel good about doing that.'  
  
'...Do you really feel that?' _She leans up to look at you, and Minako takes notice.  
  
They quirk up an eyebrow, first at Kyouko, then at you, then back at Kyouko.  
  
_Shit._ You go back to putting stuff away.  
  
_'Saya, Kyubey's goading you. You know that he wants you to waltz into enemy territory alone and get killed or, god forbid, force you to witch out.'  
  
'I wasn't born yesterday, Kyouko. I know that.'  
  
'And I know you. I know you well enough to know that you _hate _letting shit like that be.'_ You hear Kyouko slump back against the couch. _'Please, Sayaka.'_  
  
You breathe in through your nose. It takes a few seconds of deep inhalations to really calm down, _'...Right. You're right. I'm letting this get to me.'  
  
'We both know you don't want to kill them.' _Kyouko wiggles onto the couch as she turns the TV on. It's a cooking show. Then she changes the channel and it's a game show. Another and it's an anime of some kind. Giant robots; you didn't know mechs were back in style again. _'And I don't want you to suffer.'_  
  
You taste copper. You think that you bit your tongue at some point, only to realize that you're fine. _'I'm okay, Kyouko. Trust me. You don't need to worry.'  
  
'Yes I do.'_  
  
She's right. She's right and you hate it. "So, what're we doing for dinner?" you ask.  
  
Minako shrugs. "Thought we were gonna have ramen."  
  
"Yeah, and I was gonna make it." Kyouko waves her hand.  
  
"We can make it together." You smile. _'Distract ourselves.'_  
  
"Hey that'll be a good time." Kyouko rises from the couch. "I can do the noodles."  
  
"I'll do the meat and veggies."

And that winds up being a good enough distraction as the two of you cook dinner and get things ready for the night. After all, Minako has school tomorrow.


	3. Secret Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minako notices someone that they like.

[It's tomorrow](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_96jT0P3tI), and right now, your name is Minako Miki-Sakura. You go to school at _Mitakihara Central,_ a four-building school complex. There's an elementary school, a middle school, a high school, and a library, all on a four-square-mile campus. It sits in the center of Mitakihara, under the shadow of the Mitakihara Memorial, a towering sculpture dedicated to those who lost their lives in a disaster some twenty-years-ago.

Your moms both said it was harrowing. You can't even imagine it.

Speaking of, both your mom and your mama were acting really cagey last night. They thought you wouldn't notice...or maybe they did? You don't know. But you do know that it was weird. _Really weird._

They're hiding something. You fucking hate it when they do that.

But as you're considering that, someone bumps into you. You stumble forward, dressed in your purple hoodie, a boy's coat, and a girl's skirt. You don't like the school's uniforms, but at the very least they give you the right pronouns...most of the time.

The guy that bumped into you blinks, before he bows. "Sorry, Mina!" He sighs. "I was in a rush."

"it's alright, Hiro," you wave your hand, "just thinking about stuff."

"Stuff like what?"

"Parents being weird." You shrug. "Mama and mom kinda got stuck in their own little world for a little bit last night."

"Oh, yeah. My parents do that, too. And they think I can't hear." Hiro waves his hand. "I was complaining about it to my boyfriend."

"What'd he say?"

"He said to spraypaint their workplace to piss 'em off."

"Oh," oh Christ he's dating another delinquent, "...well, did you?"

"Oh, not this time."

You roll your eyes and turn to see another person, and this time it's your friend from yesterday, a turquoise-headed young girl that's easily a head shorter than you. She's running towards you at high speed in a boy's uniform with a bag on her back and a loud, echoing scream. _"MINAAAAAAAAA!"_

_"REIKAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"_ You pull your hand back. And just as she reaches you, you let your hand fly.

  


Your hands come together with a powerful _**CLAP**_ , with a force strong enough to blow back trees and strip grass from the fields around you (okay, maybe not, but it felt fucking _great_ ). "Hell yeah! Also **_ow."_**  
  
Your hand feels like it's on fire, and you double over in pain. "Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit."  
  
Hiro quirks up a brow. "Why do you do that if it hurts so much?"  
  
"Because it's fucking _awesome,"_ Reika laughs. "God, at least Mina's parents are cool enough to get it."  
  
"Actually..." he mutters.  
  
"Oh, did they ground you again?" Reika turns to you.  
  
"Oh, no no." You wave a hand. "They're just doing a bad job of hiding shit from me."  
  
"Ah. Yeah, parents are bad at that." Reika turns forwards. "So, I heard we're getting a new student."  
  
"Huh. Neat."  
  
"...What, no hopes, no nothing?"  
  
You shrug. "I mean, it's a new student. How interesting could they be?"  
  


[=]  


In the classroom, you put your bag on your desk and pull out a thin transparent screen. You slide it into a slot, and it's there that your notes, long, complicated, and messy, appear right in front of you. You slide your finger across the screen as your teacher, a tall, kindly-looking man, walks in.  
  
You and everyone else all stand and greet him as he nods and bows back. "Morning, class." He slides his finger across the board and a display floats in front of him. "So, first thing's first! We have a new student." He turns to the door. "We'd like to welcome..."  
  
She steps through the door, and suddenly you stop listening. She's _unusually tall,_ standing well over your height. Her bright green hair is tied in a bun, her bangs hanging in front of her face. Her uniform is impeccable, but most importantly, she walks with a confident, powerful stride and a glance of pure confidence. She glances around the room, a smile on her face, as she takes a look at everyone here.  
  
That smile goes wide and warm in a heartbeat, before she gives a quick bow and a bright grin.  
  
"Thank you for having me!" She bows. You take a look up to see her name floating over her head.

  
**[Hiruma Takane]  
**

...Ah, shit. You're gay.

As she walks by, you watch her bounce to her seat. You can _feel_ the palpable positive energy coming off of her as she sits in a chair and _oh fuck she's sitting right next to you oh god oh god oh god._  
  
Your breath hitches because you can almost feel the warmth to your left. Your face is turning a bright red, almost as red as a tomato. You turn to the left. You start to speak. Your moms didn't raise no coward. You're gonna flirt. It'll be _great. YOU_ will be great. She's gonna think you're cute. It's gonnaoh fuck she's already staring at you with that broad smile and that took _no_ time you didn't even come up with a game plan.  
  
"Hey!" She grins as the teacher begins his lesson. You stare forwards as he brings up some algebra and honestly you could sleepwalk your way through this lesson that is NOT IMPORTANT. What's important is that you got a girl to flirt with.  
  
Yes that's what you're doing. Just a flirt. It'll be great. Flirtflirtflirt you are _stalliiiiiiiing what are you fucking doing just bring her up-_  
  


> ClassChat31 - Private Channel said:

> T. Hiruma: Hey.

Your back goes ramrod straight and you whip your head to the side. You see Takane waving at you.  
  


> ClassChat31 - Private Channel said:
> 
> T. Hiruma: Hey.  
> M. Miki-Sakura: hey yourself, hot st

No, that is coming on _way_ too strong. You delete that and quickly type something else.  
  


> ClassChat31 - Private Channel said:
> 
> T. Hiruma: Hey.  
> M. Miki-Sakura: hey!

Much better.  
  


> ClassChat31 - Private Channel said:
> 
> T. Hiruma: Hey.  
> M. Miki-Sakura: hey!  
> T. Hiruma: So like i kinda saw you staring at me earlier.  
> T. Hiruma: Okay not staring but like looking  
> M. Miki-Sakura: ohgodididn'tmean  
> M. Miki-Sakura: i mean you're hard to ignore  
> M. Miki-Sakura: i mean you're cute  
> M. Miki-Sakura: i mean i'm yes how are you today.

Holy shit you can hear air sirens mayday mayday you're on fucking fire and you're going down.  
  
You turn to your left to see if she's just going to block you forever and to your utter shock, what you instead see is her just _beaming._  
  


> ClassChat31 - Private Channel said:
> 
> T. Hiruma: You're cute when you're flustered.

  


You have to resist the urge to keysmash.  
  


> ClassChat31 - Private Channel said:
> 
> M. Miki-Sakura: u too  
> M. Miki-Sakura: i mean ur also cute  
> T. Hiruma: Glad you think so.  
> T. Hiruma: So what's your first name?

It's finally resembling a normal conversation and honestly you are so relieved.

> ClassChat31 - Private Channel said:
> 
> M. Miki-Sakura: Minako  
> T. Hiruma: That's a pretty name.

You frown a little, and Takane blinks as she notices your expression change.

> ClassChat31 - Private Channel said:
> 
> T. Hiruma: I didn't mean anything bad by that  
> M. Miki-Sakura: oh i mean I love my name  
> M. Miki-Sakura: its just that i dunno  
> M. Miki-Sakura: im not sure about the whole pretty thing iunno  
> T. Hiruma: NB?  
> M. Miki-Sakura: ye  
> M. Miki-Sakura: what gave it away

She looks at you. She reaaaaaaaaally looks at you.

> ClassChat31 - Private Channel said:
> 
> M. Miki-Sakura: point taken  
> T. Hiruma: If I do mess up let me know.  
> M. Miki-Sakura: kk

  
Another glance her way. She waves at you.  
  


> ClassChat31 - Private Channel said:
> 
> T. Hiruma: I do mean it when I say you're cute.  
> T. Hiruma: Because you're adorable.  
> M. Miki-Sakura: hhhhhhhhhhhh  
> T. Hiruma: Oh if you wanna talk later, I'll be on the roof at lunch.

You turn towards her to see her winking and you swear that you can feel your meart helt into your chest. You wonder if this is how your moms felt when they met. Probably not, it was probably less embarrassing and dangerous.  
  


[=]  


When you find her on the roof, she has her bento box on her lap. She was waiting for you. "Figured I might as well get used to talking. And you seem to like me _immediately."_  
  
Alright. First _real_ contact. "Yeah..." you trail off. You didn't want to trail off. That's exactly the _opposite_ of what you wanted to do. "I-I mean it's like..." You sigh. "I mean...right, yes."  
  
She stares at you for a few seconds. Her smile sliiiiiiiiides into an almost cat-like appearance. "So, probably not the smartest thing to do with the first enby that flirts with me, but..." She smiles. "Wanna meet somewhere after sch-"  
  
 _ **"YES."**_ Your hands shoot up to cover your mouth.  
  
She fucking _guffaws_ as you fumble over yourself and just gives you smile. "Wow!" She leans onto her bento box. "You're really something."  
  
"Hrgh." You sit down beside her. "I can't believe you just asked me out immediately."  
  
She smiles. "That's how people actually figure themselves out, right? I mean, it's usually a leap of faith." She opens up her box and pulls out a little octopus-shaped sausage with a pair of chopsticks. "My dad met his husband through a dating site." She leans onto the railing. "And honestly, I appreciate the fact that you were clearly having a hard time flirting, but you still went out of your comfort zone to try and flirt with me."  
  
You think you're about to burst with happiness. You give her a rapid nod.  
  
"You might need to wind down a little." She puts a bit of rice in her mouth. "I'm not that scary."  
  
You slump. "I," you look around, "well, I mean," you look to her, "Iunno I'm still new to flirting in general."  
  
She smiles. "Well, we can learn after school, can't we? And if it doesn't work out then what's the harm?"  
  
You kinda don't want to think about that right now; you're still on the "holy shit I managed to fumble my way into a date" stage of "holy shit she thinks I'm cute".  
  
But you can think about where you might want to go.

[=]

School passes, and you keep on thinking of the waterfront. You let Takane know that it's where you wanna go. Judging by her _extremely_ enthusiastic reply, you know it was the right call. You can hardly contain your excitement, and it takes all of your willpower not to just leap out of your chair and run over now.  
  
Two hours pass in a flash. The train ride is similarly painless, and she sits right next to you throughout. You're still nervous, extremely so, but midway through the ride, she breaks the ice.  
  
"So, Minako..."  
  
 _First name!_ "Hm?" You try to play it off, but with your nature it comes across as a squeak.  
  
She smiles at you. "Well, I kind of wanted to know you. Since I guess we are dating and that's what you do on those." She scratches her cheek. "To be honest this is kind of my first time, too."  
  
You relax a little. That's kind of what you wanted to hear. "I mean, I live with my parents downtown just outside the Crater, and it's like a ten-minute walk to the school. Pretty sure they picked it for the location. My mom works in the police department and mama is..." You pause, then you wave your hand around. "...well, she used to stay home, but she got bored after I started primary school. This year she's training for the fire department."  
  
Takane whistles at you. "Sounds dangerous."  
  
"They don't seem worried about it." You lean back in the chair. "I mean, like, I've never seen them scared. And it makes me kinda like..." You pause. You wonder if you're saying too much to someone you pretty much only met today. You look at her, then fidget with your hands.  
  
"Kind of like...?" She leans towards you. "Kind of like what?"  
  
"Well, I mean, I don't know. Them, I mean. I don't know them as well as I'd like." You look up at the roof of the train. The handles swing around as it passes over the rails and the shadows of wires dance across the floor. "I know my mom is a powerful person. She's strong-willed, stubborn, and willing to kick ass when she wants to."  
  
You purse your lips. "She also still thinks I shouldn't say the 'fuck' word."  
  
Takane giggles. "My dad is kinda like that, yeah."  
  
"Mama is way more liberal with her language. But sometimes it feels...i'unno, like she's being dismissive? I don't know how to describe it. She's the one my friends call a 'cool mom.'"  
  
"Huh." She crosses her arms. "Like dismissive how?"  
  
You shrug. "I don't knooooow. It's just like I kinda feel like I don't wanna talk to her about how I feel about things. Do you know how hard it was to admit that I might be nb? It was _weirdly_ difficult. It just felt like I was gonna put up a barrier n' stuff."  
  
Takane doesn't say anything. "Maybe I shouldn't have asked. This is...kinda personal."  
  
"I'm sorry." You wave your hand. "I'm sorry; I usually do that to Reika."  
  
"Does she listen?"  
  
"Yeah." You smile. "She'll listen and she doesn't judge."  
  
"Good." Takane gives you a smile. "I used to have a friend like that, too."  
  
"Mmm." You have a hunch that said friendship dissolved. You don't wanna press it. "Oh, it looks like we're almost there."  
  
Takane glances out the back window. Sure enough, right there in the evening sun is the waterfront. The water by Mitakihara is crystal-clear, a perfect reflection of the city behind it. The shops and restaurants are just behind it, and every few minutes, a swimming robot sweeps through the water to eliminate trash. A number of different boats, all sleek and glimmering white, float to the side just far enough away so as to not ruin the view.  
  


  


The brick path is usually white, but as the sun sets it's turning a gorgeous shade of purple. Even with autumn looming just around the corner, the waterfront still stuns.  
  
You and Takane leave the train to reach the waterfront. She hangs back just a few feet behind you, her bag slung over her shoulder as she stares out across the water. On the other side is Kasamino, Mitakihara's sister city. Steam spews from the top of several buildings on the other side, but even there, just out of reach of the industrial heart of the city, the water is still glimmering and pristine.  
  
"It's been a while since I've been here." You smile. "Most of the time I just stay by the Crater district. All my friends live there and my moms are usually pretty okay with me staying close by."  
  
Takane nods as she walks behind you. "But are you okay with that?"  
  
"Kinda?" You shrug. "It gets samey but I am kinda okay with it."  
  
She smiles. "I mean given what you were saying with your moms..."  
  
"I still love them," you say back.  
  
"I never wanted to imply you didn't." She presses her hand to her chest. "I mean, god, my dads mothered the heck out of me when I lived in Kasamino. A bit further inland." She points to the radio tower. "Close to the base of KT-T."  
  
You follow her finger out west. The tower itself looms over most of Kasamino, a skyscraping beacon of the city's industrial might. It's almost as tall as the _Mitakihara Regional Center._ "That's tall."  
  
"Well, the buildings around it aren't nearly as big." She lowers her hand. "Papa worked for the radio station before they offered him a job here. And then we moved." She grins. "But honestly I've been excited to move to Mitakihara for a while now."  
  
You shrug. "I mean, it's a city."  
  
"Yes, but it's not just _any_ city." She walks ahead of you with a spring in her step before she stops and leans towards you. "I loved Kasamino but I think I'll like this town more!"  
  
You don't really get why she's excited about this city in particular. But her enthusiasm is kind of infectious, and you can't help but give her a smile right back.  
  
You both keep walking a bit further down the waterfront before you finally decide to press yourself against the railing. You're a bit short (you still have some growing to do), so you have to lean your entire body against the railing and it goes all the way up to your neck. You make a strangled, frustrated noise as Takane rests beside you. She's noticeably taller than you; a full head taller.  
  
You still have no idea why she said yes to...wait, no. Even more confusing, _she_ asked _you_ out. You don't know what she saw in you, you grievous gay disaster goblin.  
  
She watches the sunlight dance across the water as a trashbot picks up a stray _Starbucks_ cup.  
  
"So like...why did you ask me out?" you ask.  
  
"Because you're cute," she says back.  
  
"That can't be it." You frown. "I mean...I dunno. I don't know anything. I'm kinda just me."  
  
"Well, let's put it this way." She adjusts her glasses so that the sun isn't glaring at you. Just enough that you can see her eyes staring into yours. "I think you're cute. And I meant what I said on the roof. I want to try something out. And if it doesn't work out, we can just move on. Though I think it's going pretty okay so far."  
  
You suspect she's hiding something. But you're not going to pry. And honestly, it's probably not that big a deal.  
  
She's your age. She's not going to have that much to hide.  
  
You smile...then you lean a little bit to the side. Your head hits her shoulder with a light *pap* and she giggles again.  
  
Yeah, you think you'd be okay with going on another date.


	4. Sunspot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sayaka makes a discovery about Minako's new girlfriend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fuck it, y'all get a bonus chapter today.

Your name is Sayaka, and you just left this prefecture's police department. With Kasamino and Mitakihara so close together, it only makes sense for them to share a single massive Department, especially given the relatively low crime rates of both cities.  
  
Even for all of Japan's ongoing societal problems, both cities are still notoriously dull among police officers, yourself included. Most of your day was spent sorting through paperwork. You're mostly thankful that Akane and Kyouko can usually take care of the bigger threats.  
  
What seems to almost be a secondary job to you is keeping track of the number of magical girls in town, and you keep that number written down in a notepad in your back pocket, and you keep that notepad on you at all times. There is no way you're going to lose track of it.  
  
You walk down the street, when suddenly you sense something. A hint of magic; there's a magical girl nearby. You tend to keep track of those around you, so you pull out your notepad.  
  
There are currently fifty-five active magical girls in this part of Mitakihara, and you've crossed out five of the names on the list. You know that there are only two in the district where you live. So there's one that you haven't accounted for.  
  
You grimace. You're not looking forward to keeping track of this one.

You don't wanna risk it. A quick dash around the corner and you see a flash of green magic from just inside the alleyway, with a telltale sparkle and what sounds like clanking metal. This girl has a very, _very_ complicated weapon from the sounds of it, probably a transforming one? Either she experimented or she got really lucky.  
  
Magical girls' weapons seem almost random from your experience, but they always have _something_ to do with the person's personality. So either this person likes overly complicated machinery, she wants to put herself at risk for big payoffs, or she got a bad spin on Kyubey's Wheel of Torture.  
  
Probably a mixture of the three.  
  
You crack your knuckles and take a step into the alleyway. You whip your hand out and your soul gem materializes on your hand. Another step and you throw it in front of your face.  
  
A second step, and your transformation begins.  
  
First, your police uniform starts to shimmer, then it ripples. A third step and you're surrounded by an explosion of dust and a gust of wind. Your magical girl outfit emerges first, before it disappears like a memory. It's replaced instead by a gambeson, before golden chainmail forms just over the top, with each individual link looking like a tiny note.  
  
Your sabatons come first. Your boots wrap around your legs; still the long, blue leather from before, but this time they glitter with gold. The metal crinkles and crunches before forming two neat, multi-layered steel boots. It continues up your leg, blue metal materializing around your shins and thighs before three cups slap themselves across your knees.  
  
You spread your arms as your forearms are wrapped by glimmering golden gauntlets, as your elbows are coated and your upper arms are enclosed. Your pauldrons are next, floating over the top as your breastplate slowly melts down your chest, across the golden mail. Three eyes adorn the front of your chestplate as your gorget shoots up and covers your chin. You roll your head experimentally, flex your fingers, and finally snap them.  
  
Your cape _bursts_ from your back, a complex canvas of gold on white with a full symphony on your back. You're pretty sure that it takes the form of whatever song you're thinking of at the moment.  
  
You form a sword in your right hand, then _snap_ the blade off with your left. You spin it around three times and it multiplies with each spin. One blade, then three, then _nine,_ and a fourth turns it into a mechanical shield. The handle in your right hand suddenly grows a new blade entirely, and by the time you reach the labyrinth...  
  


You look fucking _fierce._  
  
And you press the sword in first. It doesn't yank on your hand. Doesn't even snap the blade. You take that as your cue to slip into the labyrinth. And as soon as you do, you _drop._ You drop and drop and _drop_ past winding tree branches made of felt and leather as wild patterns pass by your eye and the air whips your cape about your head.  
  
You hit the ground _hard,_ hard enough to splinter wood with the combined force of your landing and your armor's mass. You flex your hands experimentally to make sure you didn't break anything with a bad landing.  
  
No, still good. You take a look around to get your bearings, really understand the labyrinth. The sky is a dull red, with a gigantic sphere just hanging overhead. The branches around you twitch and shudder, and for a second you almost lose your footing.  
  
The branches continue to twist, before a low, loud groan fills your ears and the sun above _bursts_ to life. Two trees, both slightly smaller than this one, twist and twine and interlink and rumble as the sunbeams fill your eyes.  
  
That looks like a witch to you. Doesn't seem like a particularly dangerous one. But you've underestimated witches before.  
  


But more importantly, you see a tiny dot among the branches of the tree. A girl darts among the limbs as a swarm follows her around. The tiny little swarm dances around her as she twists and weaves in a blur of green. She punches one, and you see a flash of _white,_ a huff of smoke, and a second later, you hear the distinct _crack_ of a firearm.  
  
Each punch explodes with _pop-pop-pop,_ and from here, you can _just_ barely tell that the shells on her arms are rotating. With each shot, a shell flies out the top of her fist weapon and finally you can tell that she's both out of bullets and cornered. She twists her body, crosses her arms, and presses her feet to the bark of the tree. She whips her arms out and two discarded magazines fly from her hands. She presses her arms to her sides and suddenly two new clips fill her hands.  
  
You hear a roaring battlecry before she _spins,_ the force of her leap ripping an entire branch off of the tree as she passes by the swarm. She screams through the air just over your head as each punch of hers takes out a chunk of the swarm.  
  


  
She looks about Minako's age. She whips just over your head and the swarm whizzes just nearby. From here, you can finally tell that the swarm is nothing but _branches,_ growing at rapid speed from the ground as they desperately try to reach up to her. You bend your knees as they come close, and without hesitation, you rocket upwards.  
  
Your falchion _rips_ through the swarm in a flash of neon blue. A wave _echoes_ from your sword, your cape whipping around your body as your shield rattles from the sudden movement. Momentum carries you further upwards as the swarm of branches flutters in confusion, utterly bewildered at the _audacity_ of you just barging into the fray like you did. You tighten your grip as the swarm wraps around itself to form a _fucking log,_ almost as thick as your torso, and it comes barging towards you at high speed.  
  
You raise your shield. The tip of the log _slams_ into the metal of your shield, before you let the momentum _sliiiiiiiide_ on past you. Splinters spray from the wood as you _impale_ the end of the leg and _draaaaaaag_ your sword out the base.  
  
The log _splits_ as your slice carries it out the back. You spiral towards the ground before s _lamming_ the shield down hard enough to detonate another branch. It's a spectacular rain of bark and felt as you stand up to your full height right in front of this mystery girl.  
  
She's just staring at you, bewildered. "I-I...what the heck?"

"Well, what are you waiting for?" You clap your hands and flex your fingers. She looks you up and down, utterly _shocked.  
_  
"Y-you're an adult-!"  
  
"And _we_ have a witch to kill." You throw your sword into the air first, before you follow suit. The blade spins rapidly, before it _shatters_ into a ring of musical notes and lines. Your jump was _just_ enough to reach it, and with a quick backflip your feet reach the center of the ring. The circle starts glowing gold, before it slowly transforms into a familiar blue ripple.  
  
Then it rockets you forward at high speed. The tree stands right in front of you, branches waving wildly as it realizes _just_ how much of a threat you are. The branches come descending down upon you all at once, and in that same split second, you form a new blade and slot it right into your shield. The shield warps and twists and transforms, elongating your handle as the mechanical pieces fuuuuuuuse together into a single, oversized greatsword. The seams and patterns of the shield melt into the heart of the blade, as you take your momentum and carry it into a gigantic swing.  
  
The branches are no match for your swing. Immediately, a chunk of tree is just _gone,_ and a branch the size of a school bus is trimmed from the tree. Behind you, the girl charges forwards behind you, punching the smaller familiars left and right, before finally, you bring yourself upwards with a charging leap. The blade dips into the bark of the tree, before you pump some magic into the slice. Suddenly, a beam _rips_ through the trunk, down the center, and out the back.  
  
The momentum of your jump only takes you about halfway, but you can still _run._ You plant your feet into the bark, and _charge_ upwards. You drag the blade further and further and further, as the tree groooooooans and the bark _squeals_ and _whines._ The smaller familiars flicker and fall, as the rest of the tree falls to halves.  
  
Finally, you reach the top. You _tear_ the blade upwards in an arc, and in the same motion, the tree's halves fall by the wayside. At the base, the magical girl _punches_ at the base of the tree, each shotgun blast weakening the trunk's halves before they _fall_ sideways, crashing with a thunderous _**boom**_ and a spray of splinters.  
  
You hit the ground hard as she pants, flexing her hands and rolling her neck. "H-holy moly." She huffs. "W-we made short work of-"  
  
"Don't be too sure." You say. "Witches in Mitakihara tend to have a few tricks up their sleeves." You look around, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Your armor rustles as you move, and the cape around your shoulders billows in the wind. "And if it were dead, we'd have a grief seed by-"  
  
[The trees in the background fall over just as this one did](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WhsWzJWp7I), as the sun in the sky rumbles and howls. The air turns heavy, and the sky grows just a little bit duller. You take an instinctive step backwards, and then the tree itself _widens_ just a little. The twisting vines around you keep _moving,_ the splinters themselves rustle and hiss and whine as the tree's halves quiver and quake.  
  
The sun itself turns pitch-black, as the sky turns a blinding white. Three eyes roll open, simple geometric shapes on an impossibly black sun, so dark is it that it looks like someone just threw a hole in the sky and called it a day.  
  
The eyes stare at the both of you, unblinking, almost curious at the _little enemy_ in front of it.  
  
And for a few seconds, that's exactly what they do.  
  


  


Then the tree beneath you quivers. You grab the girl next to you by the hand on instinct, and you _throw_ her away. The tree itself _closes_ around you, snapping shut like a pair of jaws. The girl yelps in shock, as you throw your sword sideways and dull one of the ends. The tree _crashes_ against your blade, unable to close fully as the sword bends and breaks just over your head.  
  
The girl behind you stares at the blade, then back at you as it threatens to close and crush you wholesale. Suddenly she charges around the side, punching at the base of the tree with her shotgun gauntlets. You grin; this girl clearly has some idea of what she's doing if she doesn't just stand gormlessly at the adult meguca.  
  
You pull a chunk off of the oversized sword just over your head and whip it _down._ There's another flash of sparks and dust before you widen your stance.  
  
"Get away from the tree!" you shout. There's a loud _bang,_ and you decide to take a chance; she probably got away from the familiar in time. You _sloooooooowly_ drag the tip of your blade down the open splinters of the tree before whipping it across the sword over your head. The oversized blade _bends_ under the sudden pressure and you charge right past the halves of the tree.  
  
Just as you do, the halves snap _shut._ The branches rattle under the force, some of them falling right off of the familiar as the black sun's eyes rotate around you. The world is engulfed by black as you rumble forwards, right towards the center of the three eyes.  
  
The witch has barely any time to react as you _crash_ into the center of the sun. The "beams" around it ripple and shudder like rope as you enter a hollow sphere. You spin and spin and _spin,_ each rotation granting you more and more momentum as you reach the other side of the witch.  
  


It detonates in a shower of glass. The tendrils fall away as the sphere of the witch lets out one final, ringing cry. It sounds like a faint chime in the distance, and the trees begin to wither and die.  
  
You still keep your momentum as you hit a brick wall with enough force to put a dent in it. You grumble to yourself; should have slowed down before you did that. You grab a nearby pipe and let yourself sliiiiiiiiiiiiiide back down to the ground.  
  
The grief seed follows you down and hits the ground with a light _tap._  
  
"Could've gone faster," you mutter. "That could have gone worse in so many different ways."  
  
The girl just stares at you in awe, looking you up and down, from your sabatons to the treble clef pin in your hair to the billowing cape. "H-how-!"  
  
"Experience," you say. "Lots and lots of experience."  
  
She nods rapidly, clearly a bit too excited to see _holy shit an adult magical girl oh my god._ "H-how much experience?"  
  
"A lot."  
  
She frowns. "Well uh..." She bows. "I'm Hiruma Takane!" she says rapidly and sticks out a nervous hand. "I-I'm new here!"  
  
You stare at her hand. Then you awkwardly reach out to shake it. She does so right back, _extremely_ enthusiastically.  
  
"You're an older magical girl?! How long have you been doing this? Oh my god you'resocool that witch was taking a while to take out **_oHMYGOD."_**  
  
You take a bewildered step back. This young woman is clearly a bit too excited to see you and you honestly have no idea why. She doesn't _seem_ like she has an ulterior motive but this is honestly just _bizarre._  
  
So you take a risk. You raise your hand...and descend it upon her shoulder with a _tap._  
  
"Hey."  
  
She stares at you, kind of bewildered. It takes her a second, before she frowns. "...that meme is like fifteen years old."  
  
For a second it feels like she stabbed you in the heart. You take a deep breath. "Well I mean I guess it is. But hey. Least I lived long enough to get old."  
  
She nods repeatedly at you. "O-Oh! Uh-"  
  
"Actually, I need to ask you." You breath in. "How long have you been contracted?"  
  
"Right! Right." She breathes in. "A few months."  
  
You whistle. "Kasamino?"  
  
"Yeah." She looks behind her. "I just got off of a date with someone and I sensed a witch. I was having some trouble because I don't have a lot of crowd-control."  
  
"Your shotguns don't work with that?" You quirk a brow up.  
  
"Well the issue therein is that I can deal with single-targets really well at close-mid range. But long-range and mass targets are kind of a weakness." She taps her chin.  
  
_She's weirdly self-reflective for a teen._ You quickly take a look at her body language. She's glancing around the alleyway, looking absent-minded, but the way her eyes dart around seem more like she's nervous. Like she's expecting something to attack. You tap her shoulder.  
  
_Immediately_ she jumps. "Oh! Apologies!" She bows at you again. "Just getting lost, you know."  
  
_Yeah she's high-strung._

You breathe in through your nose. "Alright, typical rundown, don't feel too bad about this." You look her over. "What do you know about being a magical girl?"  
  
She frowns. "They put my soul into this," she raises her soul gem, "and I have to fight witches to clean it."  
  
_She doesn't know about the true nature of witches._ And honestly you think that's for the better. That is a truth that very, _very_ few people can handle, and most of the girls under your watch tend to do just fine without it. Frequently they do better, truth be told.  
  
"Okay, so you know that Kyubey is kind of dubious."  
  
She looks to the side. "Yes."  
  
"Good." You look her over. "And you said you're from Kasamino? They tend to share Incubators."  
  
"What's...that got to do with it?" She blinks.  
  
"Different cities and prefectures tend to have different Incubators. This extends to different countries, different towns, different cities. All of them have their own subsection, category, and classification of _Incubator._ And they all communicate differently. This means telepathy works with some incubators and it doesn't with others."  
  
She blinks. Then she nods. "Ooookay..."  
  
_'Basically, I'm asking if you can do this.'_  
  
She nods. _'Yes! Yes I can.'_  
  
"Good." You smile. "If you need backup or just want to talk, like maybe you have S.O. problems or just think you somehow want a grown woman hanging out with you, give us a call using that."  
  
She smiles and nods. "Right."  
  
"Oh, and..." you pause, "...bear with me. Do you need a place to crash?"  
  
She blinks. "Huh?"  
  
"We've had homeless magical girls before. I should know, because my wife was one of them for a while."  
  
She stares and _staaaaaaaaaares "...uh..._ my dads live in town."  
  
"Ah, good." You smile. "Hey, it could be way worse."  
  
She nods back. "Right. It's just...hm."  
  
"So what made you leave Kasamino?" You look behind you. "The Megaseed?"  
  
"No. I knew about it, but that wasn't what brought me." She leans against the wall. "I just...didn't want to stay in Kasamino."  
  
You narrow your eyes. "Huh." You look back out the alleyway, then towards her. "Gonna elaborate?"  
  
She looks at your feet, then at you. She takes a few steps backwards before shaking her head. "No."  
  
Well that's a little private, isn't it. You sigh. "Okay. Well, I have my contact info. If you need me for any reason, do not be afraid to call."  
  
"Yes." She nods again before leaping backwards out of the alley. "Thank you!" she shouts.  
  
"Wait, _hey!" y_ ou shout back before she leaves proper. She stops by grabbing a nearby fire escape and just hanging off the railing.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"You forgot this!" You pick the grief seed off the ground and throw it up towards her.  
  
She catches it readily out of the air and nods. "Thank you!" she says, then she's off on her merry way.  
  
Just as she's out of view, your armor explodes into dust and you're back in your police uniform, hat and all. You turn around to leave, jaw set and expression pensive.  
  
You wonder for a second if she has had a run-in with the Kasamino group. She probably has; powerful teams tend to squash smaller magical girls into dust for even thinking about insubordination. Or worse, _betrayal._ Or even _worse,_ fucking _ignoring them._ Your fingers flex a little bit. Every single time you've run into a magical girl that even thinks about that, you've had to quash them.  
  
And sometimes...  
  
Well, your hands are bloodier than you'd like to admit.  
  
You flex your fingers and take a few steps out of the alleyway on your way home. You check your phone to see that Kyouko sent you a text.

> Kokofone said:
> 
> hey just got back from killin a witch  
>  minas home too

Good. You text her right back.

> Sayasaya said:
> 
> yeah, same.  
>  <3

> Kokofone said:
> 
> <3  
>  cutie

You open the door half an hour later to see Minako on the couch with their console and Kyouko reading a book. She glances to you, then she gives you a fanged grin. "Hey."  
  
You turn around, then slump into her lap. "Nnnnnnnnnnnnnnew giiiiiiiiiiiirl." You push the back of your head into where you think her chest is. "Shessa handfullllll."  
  
She laughs, before she quietly adjusts your shoulders. Finally you're in the right place. "Yeah, they usually are! I mean I also got like some stupid shit coming up. Another boring-ass written exam." She smacks her lips. "Oh yeah, and a guy hit on me."  
  
You look up. "Really?"  
  
"I told him 'Do I look like I'm straight,' and then he backed off with his tail between his legs. It was fucking sad." She grins. _'So, what's this new duckling look like?'  
  
'Green, Minako's age. Said she was on a date before fighting a witch.' _You glance at Minako...there's a _chance,_ but honestly, your kid's love life isn't really your concern and you're pretty sure they would hate it if you pried. But...your child could be dating a magical girl.  
  
That's concerning. You take a look over to them on the couch. Every so often they giggle a little bit. They seem kinda distant, but it's less them being a detached teen, more like "they're smitten". You know that feeling.  
  
It's kind of how you felt about Kyouko after the first month.

"So uh..." You purse your lips. "How was your day?"  
  
"Pretty good." They roll onto their back. "Spent it with uh..." They search for a couple of words that you're going to assume are meant to throw you off the possibility that they went on a date "...someone."  
  
You raised a smooth operator. "Okaaay." You could cook something more involved...but you don't feel like it. You pull a frozen pizza out of the fridge and turn on the oven. It heats up within seconds. "So, like, uneventful?"  
  
"Yeah I just uh, wanted to go to the waterfront. With a friends. I mean a friend. Yes."  
  
Oh holy shit they are a terrible liar. You put the pizza into the oven and turn on the timer for twenty minutes. You stand upright. "So a date?"  
  
"It wasn't a date!"  
  
"They went on a date?" Kyouko perks up. "Oh my god congrats!"  
  
"I didn't go on a _date!"_ They cover their face and holy fuck you can just _tell_ that they were on a date. "It wasn't a fucking _date_ she just asked and I said yes and-!"  
  
You clap your hands excitedly. "OooH! So she asked you out!"  
_  
"IT WasN't A DaTE!"_ Their voice cracks mid-shout. "Oh my _god!"_  
  
You try your hardest not to laugh because honestly your kid's getting mortified and you're feeling a little bit bad. But it's also hilarious and you are not a very good person. "Uh, honestly we're not mad about you dating-"  
  
**_"IT'SNOTADATE."_**  
  
"You're not convincing anyone, Mina." Kyouko waves her hand. "And your moms are turbogay. Trust us we get it."  
  
"Oh, so I did run into someone today." You tap your chin. "Green hair, looks your age."  
  
Minako goes ramrod straight in their seat.  
  
"Does she go to your school?"  
  
**_"MOM!"_**  
  
Jackpot. "I knew it!"  
  
Minako rubs their hands over their face, squealing in frustration with a muffled _"why is mom a fucking cop oh my fucking god why is she a fucking cop"_ before you lean onto the countertop.  
  
"You know, you could have just told us. I mean, we _were_ your age when we dated the first time."  
  
"Then we broke up for a few months in high school, then we got back together, then broke up while your mom was in college, this time only for a week, then we stayed together for good that time." Kyouko waves her hand. "That was fun."  
  
"Yes. It was." You sigh. "Oh, the way you made up for me after we got back together the third time~"  
  
Kyouko snickers. "Oh, it was great."  
  
"NO! _EW!"_  
  
"Relax, Mina." You wave your hand. "Kyouko made me a card. It said..." it still makes you laugh when you think about it.

It was delightfully _her._ "She was apologizing for uh," you pause to rack your brain, "I don't even remember what it was for."  
  
"Oh it was 'cause I made a mess of our place." She scratches her cheek. "I ruined your homework and almost made you fail that course."  
  
"Ah." You remember that now, but it's just...kind of insignificant. It's a little bit funny, honestly. You were mad. You were _really_ mad, actually. But Kyouko made one really stupid card a week after a "breakup" and suddenly you were in her bed again. It's just a nothing now.  
  
You sigh. "Well, the past is that. I was about to say more something along the lines of...expect something rocky." You smile. "And treat her well."  
  
Minako grumbles. "I...blench. I didn't need...okay." They roll over.  
  
The oven makes a _ding-_ ing sound. Your pizza's done cooking. You take it out of the oven (you actually remember to get your oven mitt this time) and place it on top of the stove. "Well, dinner's ready, by the by." You smile. "Hope your next date goes-"  
  
_"Stoooooooooop."_  
  


[=]  


This time, you're in bed. A proper bed this time, and you're currently laying atop Kyouko's bare arm. Minako's a couple of rooms over, and while the walls are pretty heavily insulated and padded...well you're not about to risk them hearing you. Not this time, anyway.  
  
But that didn't stop you and your wife from just laying in the bed and cuddling close as possible under the covers. You didn't bother putting a shirt on this time, and neither did she. Your head's resting on top of her arm, and you're close enough that you can feel her breath on your forehead.  
  
And you can't sleep. You're just staring at her collarbone like you _haven't_ kissed it hundreds of times before, and your eyes are tracing over a few random scars. Not because you're thinking about her injuries, but rather because-  
  
"I went overboard," you say suddenly.  
  
"H-buwh?" Kyouko sounds bleary. She sounds like she was actually about to sleep. "Sayaka what the fuck."  
  
"I think I pressed Mina way, way too hard." You roll over.  
  
"It was teasing, Saya." Kyouko scoots towards you and wraps her arms around your neck. The collarbone in your view comes closer, and you find your head in the crook of her neck. "I'm sure they can take a few jabs."  
  
"Yeah, but what if they don't see it like that." You shimmy yourself up just enough to look at her from below.  
  
"Well, then they'll just let us know." Kyouko shrugs. "We taught them to speak up when there's a problem."  
  
"That doesn't mean they'll do it."  
  
"That's their problem."  
  
"Kyouko!" You frown.  
  
"What? We can't take care of them if they don't talk to us. We're not psychic."  
  
You move just far enough away so that she can see the incredulity on your face.  
  
"Aside from the telepathy."  
  
You smirk.  
  
"Wise-ass."  
  
You grin, before you press your face into her chest and _pbffbbbbt-  
  
"HeY!" _Kyouko squeaks. "Saya! No motorboating!"  
  
"I'm sorry but it's _fuuuuun!"_ You laugh and laugh, then you sigh. "Oh, and uh..." You roll your head up. "There's another wrinkle."  
  
"What, Saya?" She rests her chin on top of your hair. "Wassit?"  
  
"Mina's girlfriend is a magical girl."  
  
Kyouko blinks. "Wait, what?"  
  
"Yeah she was the one I was talking about." You keep your voice down. You don't _think_ Minako can hear you, but you don't want to take that chance. "Green hair. She's introspective and she knows about how literal 'soul gem' is."  
  
"Hrm, shit." Kyouko rolls her head over. "Do we break-"  
  
"No, we're not breaking our kid's first big relationship."  
  
"I wasn't gonna suggest that."  
  
"Yes you were." You push yourself just a bit further out, just enough to give her eyes a good look.  
  
She's staring with as serious a look as she can muster. "Okay, I was. But you're also right, we ain't gonna break them up." She looks down. "We'll just have to figure something out, right?"  
  
"Yeah." You kiss her neck, and rest your head over her shoulder. "I think we can, too. We just need a little time."


	5. Trials of Magi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minako notices some weird stuff, and Takane trains with Sayaka and a muscle-guca.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know what? A third extra chapter, why not.

Your name is Minako again, and last night could have probably gone better. You walk the path to school, bag slung over your shoulder. You take a few glances around, before you see Hiro and Reika running up to your side.  
  
"Hey!" Reika waves. "Mina!"  
  
"Heard you had a date!" Hiro shouts.  
  
"Oh for fuck's-" You stop. Then you realize that _you were the one that told them about it you dumbass._ "Right, yes." You rub your temples. "Yeah! I did!"  
  
"Oh, that bad?" Reika crosses her arms. "I'll fuckin beat the shit outta-"  
  
"No, no! Takane is, well," you wiggle a little bit "really good and cute and cool."  
  
"Oh. Nice!" Reika nods. "Good to hear." She presses a hand to the side of her head. "Ah, young love~"  
  
"You're my age."  
  
"Yeah and I'm never gonna date. So there." She sticks her tongue out and gives you a smug smirk.  
  
Of course, as you walk to school you can't help but see her. A head of green walking across the opposite end of the street. She doesn't seem to have noticed you yet...  
  
You _could_ change that. Actually, let's be real, Why the fuck _wouldn't_ you do this. You start to run to Takane with your bag in your hands. Halfway there, you realize that nobody else is running with you, so you turn on your heels, feet still bouncing across the concrete, and shout. "Hey! Come on!" You wave. "I want y'all to meet her!"  
  
This actually catches Takane's attention too, and soon Hiro and Reika are walking over to meet her. You turn back to...your girlfriend? Yeah, you guess she's your girlfriend!  
  
"Hiro, Takane. Takane, Hiro. Reika, Takane. Takane, Reika." You wave your hand.  
  
Immediately Reika looks her over. Takane looks a little bewildered as Reika seems to almost inspect her, before she shoots her a thumbs-up. "Nice!"  
  
"I uh, I guess?" Takane's eyes dart towards you in a silent plea of "help me".  
  
"Oh, Reika just does that." You look at her. "It's kinda weird."  
  
"Damn right it is!" Reika stands triumphantly. "Now about your everything else-"  
  
"Hoooow about you just let her introduce herself." Hiro moves over and waves his hand. "So, uh when'd you move to Mitaki-"  
  
"Last week, my dads brought me, I'm your age, and uh...pan? I think?" She looks at you, then back at them. "If you want to just have an answer quickly."  
  
"Hm!" Reika nods. "That was actually exactly what I was gonna ask." She leans over. "Is you psychic?"  
  
"No, I'm just used to moving around." Takane smiles. "Though if you could just not do an inspection, that would be great."  
  
"Ah, shit." Reika frowns. "That didn't make you uncomfortable, did it?"  
  
"A little, actually." Takane pinches the air. "Just a smidge."  
  
Reika jumps back. "Sorry, just uh-" She yelps when Hiro shoves her out of the way.  
  
"You're embarrassing yourself in front of the new girl. Let me do the honors." He clears his throat, then he _bows_ dramatically. "Hello, new girl. I am Hiro."  
  
Takane nods. "Nice to meet you, Hiro," she says very matter-of-factly. "I'm Takane."  
  
"Yes." He nods and smiles. "I'd let you meet my boyfriend, but-"  
  
"You broke up already," you interrupt him.  
  
_"Hey!_ I'll have you know that _I_ was the one that split with _him_ this time."  
  
"You had like a date and a half."  
  
"That was still some kind of relationship!"  
  
You roll your eyes, before you feel Takane's fingers wrap around yours. You sputter for a second before you grip back. Reika looks like she's holding back the urge to just go _awwwwwwwwww,_ while Hiro doesn't show any restraint at all.  
  
"OooooOOOOOOh _you're adorable!"_ He claps his hands. "Ooooh you two are so cute!"  
  
"You're darn right." Takane smiles.  
  


[=]

  
School passes by in a flash, and you find yourself on the rooftop. Your moms gave you another bento box, this time with a misshapen rice panda and some fish. Your girlfriend has her own box; nothing fancy, but it looks delicious. The fencing around you rattles a bit as the wind rushes past.  
  
You look at her food, then up at her.  
  
She smiles. "Your mom tried something new?"  
  
"Mama." You say. "Mom usually goes for a box that's a bit more traditional, mama really likes trying new stuff. Even if she's not that great at it." You stick your chopsticks into the rice panda and take its snout.  
  
She nods. "So she likes trying new things?"  
  
"In a way." You wave your hand. "She just really likes trying something weird and kinda crazy. Mom has her own rhythms and a certain way of doing things. Mama gets real bored real fast."  
  
She nods. "...how long have they been-"  
  
"Twenty years," you say. "They've been together for a while." You hear the tapping of new footsteps on the roof. You turn to see a boy emerging from the stairwell. He seems to numbly step up ,wandering past the two of you. You just stare at him for a bit, almost annoyed at the intrusion, before you go back to your girlfriend. "Oh, they haven't gotten tired of each other." You narrow your eyes, "I know they tire me out sometimes."  
  
"Well that's just parenting." Takane waves a hand.  
  
"Yeah it's 'just parenting', but that doesn't mean I wanna be teased about who I date for no...reason..." You trail off and watch the boy just wander around. He seems to be walking around without any real purpose, towards the end of the rooftop. "Is...is he high?"  
  
Takane stares at him. She seems to watch him very intently as he rubs his hands on the side of the cage. He rattles it. Then he slowly wanders away and towards a broken part of the fence. There's a little-known part of the whole thing where the screws holding the bars in place are noticeably weaker. Maintenance doesn't bother, because most people don't know about it. And those that do don't spread that knowledge around.  
  
But this boy? This boy knows. He presses the bar outwards, just enough for him to slip through.  
  
You watch as he moves towards the wires over the edge of the Mitakihara school.  
  
It slowly dawns on you as to what is about to happen.  
You run forwards, and you don't even notice that your box was still on your lap. You charge across the rooftop. You don't hesitate, you just _move._ The boy is pushing himself further towards the ledge, just enough to leap over the edge. The wire snaps under his weight; it was for _show._ The administration didn't think anyone would get past the gate.  
  
You grab his hand. He falls over the edge, and you try to grip the fence. The entire thing shudders under the combined weight of you and the boy. He dangles by the edge in front of a window, and he struggles against your grip.  
  
"What the f-f- _fuck_ are you doing-!" Your hand slips just a little. Your eyes widen as you try to readjust your grip, but halfway through, you realize that would just mean _letting go._ "G-get back!" You're sweating now. The grip slips just slightly. Your eyes widen as you turn back to him.  
  
He struggles again. Your grips on his hand and the fence loosen. Your eyes shut. What is just five seconds feels like a fucking eternity. You can feel your hand getting looser and looser in slow motion.  
  
Suddenly, your hand loses grip. The boy begins to drop. You start to follow him. And then all of a sudden, you see a _bright_ flash of green. Two hands shoot out from the fence and the busted gate is _ripped_ from its hinges. You see a gloved hand wrap around your hand before a second wraps around the boy's wrist.  
  


  


Your girlfriend stands in front of you, teeth bared, one foot at the ledge, the other on the ground. "No no _no!"_ She doesn't even seem like she's struggling as she _pulls_ the both of you over, and it feels like she could rip your arm out of its socket.  
  
She rips the both of you out from the other side of the fence and onto the rooftop before quickly _yanking_ the broken fence into place. She kicks it a few times for good measure, just to make sure it doesn't move. It's a _solid inch of steel,_ and she's kicking it like it's made of papier-mâché  
  
You stare at the fence, then she turns quickly on her heel and extends a hand. "You okay?"  
  
"I uh..." You glance from her hand to her green eyes to the fence just behind her. Your eyes drift backwards as you realize you spilled the bento your Mama made you. You turn to see it...perfectly alright. The misshapen panda is somehow even more misshapen, but all the food is in place, with only a few spilled grains of rice. "Yeah. Yes. I am."  
  
"Okay." She stands upright. She pulls the boy's head to the side and pushes his hair. On his neck, you see a tattoo, a bizarre, flickering thing that seems to rotate even as you look at it, an entire little world shimmering and sparkling within it.

"What the fuck is that," you mutter.  
  
The girl glances at you, then back at the tattoo. "I-I...uh...ah, shoot." She grimaces. "A kiss. That's a witch's kiss."  
  
"A w-w-what now?" You shake your hand. "Takane, what is-"  
  
"It's bad. It's _really bad."_ Takane's eyes dart around, looking for...something. You just don't know what. She turns to you. "Keep watch over him, make sure he doesn't try again."  
  
"I don't know what's going _on!" y_ ou shout after her as she stands up to her feet. _"Takane!"_  
  
"It's better that you don't know," she says. "I'll meet you after school, okay?" She blows you a kiss, and then she _jumps._  
  
The rooftop shudders under the force of her leap as your girlfriend fucking soars into the sky with a trail of dust behind her. She pirouettes over your head before she hits the field with a loud _thud_ and keeps running.  
  
You're just left there confused, watching her leave into the field as the boy in your arms lays unconscious. Suddenly, he rustles. Your eyes widen, and then between glancing at where your girlfriend used to be and the boy in your arms, you decide to deal with the more immediate, pressing issue. You sling his arm over your shoulder and try to bring him into the infirmary.  
  


[=]  


Takane doesn't appear after lunch. At least not immediately. School starts up again, and you don't notice her in the classroom at all. She does finally show up half an hour in. Her knees are weak and she almost seems to _slump_ back into her seat. The energy from before is gone as she pants in her seat.  
  
She glances towards you before finally setting herself upright. She flexes her fingers, adjusts her glasses, fixes her bun, then starts to type some notes.  
  
You're still filled with questions. Your fingers tap the keyboard in front of you, blue flickering under your hands. You keep on considering just...not. You don't even know if she'll answer anything.  
  
At the end of it, you decide not to. Class ends. You have a date with her. That should answer some things...right?  
  
Hopefully.

This time you let her decide, and she's chosen Akibazokuhen, a shopping center close to downtown Mitakihara. It's a short walk away from the school, in the opposite direction from where you live. And you decide that for whatever reason it would definitely be a good idea to go.  
  
Well, at the very least, it's pretty. While most of Mitakihara is pristine and glass, this place is more akin to a street in Hong Kong. A canal passes through the area, and as the sun begins to set just a little, the neon becomes more prominent. It's _blindingly_ bright, with different logos for different companies peppering the street around you. Vendors hawk their wares among street food and loud music and bootleg video game consoles sold by washed-up rappers.  
  


  
You're kind of overwhelmed. You've never been in a place quite like this, but honestly there's something kind of intoxicating about it. Your nose is hit by the smell of scorched seafood and delicious spices. Your girlfriend wanders by a noodle vendor selling pancit. You've never heard of the stuff, but it's apparently popular in the Philippines. Reika would probably know better than you about that.  
  
All the while, you hold onto Takane's arm tight, like you're about to lose her in the crowd. She keeps you close, smile on her face, and honestly, you find it reassuring. But even through the excitement of the most popular shopping district in Mitakihara, you can see her smile faltering. Sometimes, in the neon glow of a nearby sign, she's giving a determined frown, clearly occupied.  
  
She's probably still thinking about what you saw. You both pass by an exhibit; a street performer with a cat crawling on his head. The cat has a knife in her mouth as she does backflips and stabs at a balloon full of hydrogen. The balloon pops before a flame explodes twenty feet over his head.  
  
You swallow hard. "So...that was weird," you say.  
  
"Yeah, that man had a cat on his-"  
  
"Not that," you say quickly. You loosen your grip on her arm and stare up at her face. She notices and turns towards you. As soon as your eyes meet, you continue. "I mean what happened on the roof."  
  
She grimaces. It's the first time you've seen her look even a little upset. "Mina-"  
  
"I mean it's probably just meant to be a, a...thing...I mean," you swallow, "I know it's a super-secret _something._ But can you explain at least a little bit of it? Maybe? _Please?"_  
  
She doesn't seem to answer as she comes to a halt by a nearby wall. It's bare save for the occasional couple or a few pieces of trash. She stares you in the eyes. "Mina, what I'm..." she trails off as she stares into your eyes. She can probably see the hurt in your face. "...the thing is that what I do I..." She scratches her cheek. "...it's dangerous. Very dangerous."  
  
"What's dangerous?" You frown. "The superpowers?"  
  
"No it's what I...ugh." She squeezes her eyes shut. "Mina. I'm a magical girl."  
  
You blink. "Wait, huh?" You look her up and down. "Like _Precure?_ Or _Symphogear_? Or _Flip Flappers?_ Or _RWBY?_ "  
  
She blinks right back. "I, uh, I mean...uh...RWBY isn't even...I..." she stammers for a few good seconds, obviously looking for a way to make it sound less stupid. Eventually, she just gives up. "...yes, like that."  
  
Your eyes light up for a second. Then you stop. Then you realize how dumb that is. Then you think about how cagey she is about the whole thing. Then you think and think. "Oh."  
  
"It's like a magical girl anime on the surface." She shakes her head. "But as it turns out the reality is pretty different from how it really works."  
  
"I mean yeah," you shrug, "reality's always differ-"  
  
"I don't just mean like that, Mina." She presses her hands against her shoulders. "The powers are nice but they're not worth the asking price."  
  
You stare back at her. "I...uh...huh?"  
  
"Don't make that deal. There is nothing to gain and everything to lose."  
  
You stare back, bewildered. "...bwuh?"  
  
"Do you understand?"  
  
You look left, then right. You _want_ to say 'Fuck no! I don't understand _anything?!_ Deal? Fucking _what?!'_ But then you take in a deep breath. "Yes," you lie.  
  
"Okay." She sighs and leans back. "But we're not here for a contract. We're here to enjoy ourselves, right?"  
  
"Yeah." Your eyes shift to the side. For a second, you think you can see a white cat in the crowd. A second later and it's gone.  
  
It's probably nothing.  
  
"You're right." You turn back to her. "Reika was telling me about something called 'adobo'..."

[=]

Your name is Sayaka. And you're currently waiting for your latest student. You did your rounds after work, and all witches were taken care of. You raise your hand to your ear and trace your hand across the edge. You sigh as deep a sigh as you can muster.  
  
You're going to meet with Minako's girlfriend. She probably doesn't realize what you have in store quite yet. Well, _you_ know. You're going to train her.  
  
Your kid's partner is gonna be a complete badass. Well, more than she might've already been. The trick is making sure they stay safe, stay healthy, and stay alive. The best way to keep Kyubey from making a contract is by keeping your kid happy and satisfied.  
  
...Well, easier said than done. But you're going to try your fucking hardest to keep them safe. And you're hardly alone.

She's been around for almost as long as you've been a magical girl. Seven feet tall, hair like a burst of flame and sporting a pair of bright orange eyes. Her massive arms are crossed across her chest, and she's wearing a white tank top and a pair of dark jeans. She sits at a park bench in an abandoned part of Mitakihara. There's an empty apartment building in the top of this hill, on land so unstable that nobody dares to touch it.  
  
The fact that it was just left here is born out of bizarre circumstances; during the fight against Walpurgis, one of the thrown building hit the hill at such an angle as to embed itself in the side. The building didn't collapse, but the hill itself was permanently damaged. The building can't be demolished; it's keeping this side of the hill in place, like a knife in an open wound. Removing it would run the risk of a landslide.  
  
As it is now, it's an eyesore in Mitakihara. A giant shank in a hill that nobody can even touch. But it's a perfectly fine training ground. The building is still solid Mitakihara architecture, a mix of concrete and solid steel. There are little bits of furniture scattered around the inside; most of them were taken over the years, but some still remain. It's great fodder for skeet shooting.  
  
You check your phone, a rectangular piece of solid transparent crystal. You bring it up to your face and the crystal turns black as the time appears right in front of you. It's 7:00 in the evening. Takane was supposed to be here by now. She's probably still in the middle of dating your kid.  
  
You desperately hope they're not moving too fast. This is pretty much their second date as far as you know. Minako's about as impulsive as your wife was is, but you hope that they have the good sense to not go _that far._  
  
"Where the hell is she?" Akane asks what you're thinking.  
  
"Running late. She's dating my kid." You rub your forehead.  
  
"Huh. Mina's her SO?"  
  
"Yeah." You cross your arms. "Though I don't think Takane's made that connection yet. I sure as hell hope that Mina doesn't know that they're dating a magical girl."  
  
"And if they _do_ know?" Akane moves towards you. "I mean, speaking as an outsider, kid's probably gonna know. My son kinda figured that I was a magical girl after I obliterated the dumpster-"  
  
"You already told me this story."  
  
"I did, and I know that I did. It's more like kind of a warning. Your kid'll know. It might have even happened today." Akane frowns. "What are you gonna do then?"  
  
"I'll play it by ear. That's what I did with Walpurgis and it worked back then."  
  
"This isn't a big enemy you can kill." Akane rolls her shoulders. "It's no Tokyo Six and no Walpurgis."  
  
You decide to ignore that particular thought and check your phone again. It's been five minutes. Finally, you hear footsteps. You turn to see a blur of green crest the hill. "Hey!" she shouts. "Sorry I'm late! Was saying goodbye!"  
  
You nod once. "Yeah. I figured." You debate just making it immediately clear that you know that her partner is your child, buuuuut for now you decide against it. "Do make sure to keep it a secret, right? Your partner doesn't need to know about the whole business."  
  
You keep an eye on her. She just nods. "Right. They don't need to know." She smiles. "So, uh, what's the thing?"  
  
"Sparring," you say. "Of course, this is going to be a one-on-one thing." You stand back. "I'm going to watch how you fight. Akane here," you motion to the woman on your left, "will be your opponent."  
  
"Heh. I'll try." Takane spreads her own hands out, and she _bursts_ into a shower of green dust and sparks. She arches her back before rolling into a spectacular backflip. Her torso is covered by her coat before it bursts into existence, her pants following suit seconds later. Her hat materializes atop her head and her eyes glow a bright green as her soul gem shimmers into place on her chest.  
  
She slides across the ground before she crossing her arms and whipping them out, two shotgun gauntlets forming upon her hands.  
  
"You're starting to get a little bit simpler with your transformation, but it's still a bit over-the-top," you say. "There's a lot you can do with just a few steps and a quick transformation."  
  
Akane nods. "Let me show you how _I_ do it." She flexes her hands, big beefy things flicking and twisting before she _claps_ them together. The force of it scorches the ground and singes the wet grass before she brings her hands in front of her face. Two massive, _massive_ gauntlets form atop her forearms, flame gathering around her head before she simply _pulls_ her hands out to her sides. There's a spiral of flame around her and her uniform is already in place all across her body. It's changed in the past few years from stone armor to scales atop her torso, with bare shoulders and metallic feet. Her gauntlets flex as her big red scarf curls away from her body.  
  


  
"Lesson one: If you're intimidating enough, nobody will fight you," Akane says as she stands in front of the new girl. "But when that fails, and it _will..."_ She widens her stance and raises her palm towards Takane. "Then you have to know where and _how_ to strike."  
  
"Don't go _too_ hard on her!"  
  
"Heh." Akane flexes her fingers. "Nah. I'll just go _hard enough."_  
  
Takane readies herself by crossing her own arms.  
  
"Remember!" you shout as loud as you can from a pretty hefty distance. "This is a test to hit Akane's torso! Do not go for lethal strikes!"  
  
Akane nods. "I did mean it, kid. I'll only go as hard as I need-"  
  
There's a burst of air as Takane rushes forward. There's a thunderous _crack_ and a loud _ka-TANG_ as a single shotgun round explodes against Akane's left gauntlet. The older woman's holding onto Takane's left fist with just the thumb and index finger of her right glove, with her left palm just over the still-smoking shotgun gauntlet.  
  
"Nice!" Akane smiles. "No chance to brag, no chance to pontificate. Just _hit."_ She spits. "If I were a normal magi I'd be dead." Her grip tightens and you see Takane wince under the new pressure.  
  
["But I ain't a normal magi."](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFHagV70D-E)  
  
She tightens her grip then loosens it up, and the sudden pain has Takane instinctively pull her fist away. Akane promptly rips her fist backwards, right over her head, before _plunging_ it into the ground. The girl's eyes widen as she stumbles backwards, then the ground beneath her feet turns a deep, searing _orange._  
  
Akane rips her hand out and the ground _erupts_ into lava as the girl dodges sideways. Takane screams in shock as Akane brings her other hand into the air and _snaps. T_ he air turns white-hot with sudden pressure. You feel like you're almost blown backwards, while Takane is straight-up knocked out of the air and sent tumbling fifteen meters down the hill.  
  
Takane quickly gets back to her feet, but she notices a big terrifying orange blur heading right towards her. A fist lightly taps the ground, and then there's a _crater_ of molten rock and glass and smoking grass. Takane stares at the hole, then right at you.  
  
You just shrug right back.  
  
Takane mouths the first expletive you've ever seen from her before she jumps into the sky. Akane then stabs the ground where she just was with a pair of fingers. She flicks and the ground splits again.  
  
"Come on! You can't dodge all day!" Akane claps her hands. It's a light tap, but it sounds like a gong. "Come _on!"_  
  
Takane responds by pulling a ruined sofa out of the apartment building behind you. You didn't even _see_ her get inside. The thing almost beans Akane in the face, only for her to give it an upwards flick of her finger. The couch _explodes_ into splinters and dust before a desk and a television follow right behind it. Akane swats the desk to the side with a similarly ridiculous explosion of dust before backhanding the TV.  
  
And right behind that is Takane with a look of rage on her face. Her shotguns are both aimed forwards, right at the center of Akane's chest.  
  
Akane's eyes widen as the shotguns come within inches of her breastplate. She brings her forearm back after the hit, just enough to cover her chest. The shot _blasts_ into Akane's gauntlet, tearing chunks off of it in slow motion. Takane herself _slams_ into the gauntlet face-first before landing on the floor with an unceremonious _whud._  
  
She stares at the purple sky over your heads, clearly numb and disoriented.  
  
Akane blinks and looks down at her. "You okay?"  
  
Takane spits a broken tooth into the air before grunting. "I frickin' give up."  
  
Akane just frowns and dispels her damaged gauntlet. She brings her hand to Takane's. Her grip _looks_ tight, but you know that she's restraining herself. "Sorry, kid. You still did really, _really_ well for your first spar."  
  
Takane brushes herself off a little bit and wipes some blood off of her mouth. She spits, and this time it's bloody.  
  
You decide to jump off of Akane's point. "Clever use of the environment, dirty tactics, _extreme_ aggression." You tap your chin. "The only thing that got you was the fact that you gave up."  
  
The girl stares at you. You respond by putting your hand over her mouth. In a second, the tooth she just broke is healed, and so's her nose. You didn't even notice that she broke that. "There was no way I was gonna win that."  
  
"How can you be so sure?" You ask.  
  
"Well I mean, it's...okay so one, you're both older than I am. Far older. Your techniques probably far outstrip my own. She, in particular, possesses monstrous strength and flame-based techniques." She looks Akane over. "Chinese aesthetic, and she knows how to project her flames at a distance. Her normal skillset has a wildly limited range but she's figured out new and interesting ways to make up for that, be it by snapping with monstrous strength or turning the ground to lava. Her bases are covered, and so are her defenses. I have a similar problem with my shotgun gauntlets. I need to be at a close range. However, I do not quite know how to extend my reach. My skillset isn't as versatile as hers at the moment.  
  
"So I gave up."  
  
You blink. You stare at her for a few long, long moments. "Your power's analysis? Or self-awareness."  
  
"It's tactical awareness." She says. "I know pretty much immediately if a situation is unwinnable, or what gives me the best chance of winning. It's not perfect, but it's useful." She frowns. "Can't predict emotions, though. That's on me."  
  
"Hrm." You cross your arms. You turn to Akane. "Well, you're also missing another thing."  
  
"What's that?" She looks at you, then at Akane.  
  
"Your powers typically have other secondary uses. It's more than just what your base wish grants you. I have healing-based abilities myself, as you could see, but there's also the matter of your _theme."_ You smile. "Do you know what that is yet?"  
  
She pauses. "I...no? I didn't...what do you mean?"  
  
"Well, I wished to be the strongest." Akane dissipates her uniform. "My secondary is flame projection. Presumably because of my own personality." She scratches the back of her head. "Admittedly I was a hothead."  
  
"Mine is based around water and music. My wish's deeper reasoning was, uh, centered around a boy that I wound up not even dating." You sigh. "Then I found my wife pretty much immediately afterwards, and it stopped mattering."  
  
"I...hm." Takane flexes her fingers. "So I'd need to find my secondary?"  
  
"Well, if you haven't found it already, it's not going to _be_ easy." You shrug. "My wife's secondary abilities were locked away for the longest time, and it took ages for her to feel comfortable using them again."  
  
Takane glances at you. "Wait your wife's also a-"  
  
"Yeah, they've been together for a while." Akane crosses her arms. "But yeah, do you want to do another round? Maybe get some work done on-"  
  
"Actually, I can think about it later." Takane stands up. "Thank you for the training." She bows.  
  
"You're very welcome. Oh, and we meet up again tomorrow, same time and place."  
  
"Right!" Takane nods. "I don't have a date tomorrow, either. My partner wanted me to wait for the weekend."  
  
You make a mental note of that, and then she turns around. "Thank you again!" Finally, she's off with a soaring leap into the city, leaving you and Akane on a scorched battlefield. You watch Takane leap off into the distance. You keep your arms crossed as she finally leaves. Finally you turn to Akane. "The _creature_ said something about-"  
  
"That's nice." Akane cuts you off as she hefts her bag over her shoulder.  
  
"No, just a sec. It's just a brief thing." You raise your finger. "And trust me, I stabbed it after it talked."  
  
"Good." Akane turns. "So what about?"  
  
"Well, you saw how Takane was pretty willing to just quit as soon as she saw that she had no chance?" You look back to her retreating form. "I think that's part of how she convinced her parents to move out of Kasamino."  
  
"She saw a no-win scenario? Like a Walpurgis or another Tokyo Six."  
  
"That's the thing." You look a little to your left. The sun's setting, and in the distance, you see the peninsula that Kasamino rests on. The buildings leave a beautiful reflection in the water. You've been watching it grow over the past two decades. "It told me there was a gang in Kasamino, gathering strength, extorting girls."  
  
Akane frowns. "Sayaka, I can't go over there, I have-"  
  
"I wasn't about to ask you to do that." You breathe in. "I would never do that. Not alone."  
  
"Right. Sorry." She breathes in through her nose. "I just thought...right right why would you, you'd never do that."  
  
You sit nearby. "I wouldn't let you leave your family. It's why I can't go myself. And the ducklings are all over Japan. And sending a gang of newbies after them is asking for spent lives and new grief seeds."  
  
"it's no wonder she left, then." Akane crosses her arms. "If they're smart, they're gonna stay in Kasamino."  
  
"We're dealing with teens with mental health problems and incredibly lethal powers. They're not gonna be smart." You take a few steps down the hill. "I'm going for extra patrols for the next few days." You look over the city. _'Hey, heads up. We got trouble brewing in Kasamino. There's gonna be a potential influx of magical girls from the town. Let me, Kyouko, Akane, or any of the other seniors know if there's an altercation and we'll try to get there ASAP.'_  
  
You let the message spread out. It takes a second, then you hear a chorus of _'Gotcha'_ or _'Roger'_ or _'Yep'_ or _'Sure.'_  
  
You smile. You're honestly kind of proud of your work. You went through a lot of trouble to keep the girls in this town safe and happy. At least, as many of them as you can.  
  
Akane keeps her eyes on the city in the distance as she follows you down. "Now how much do you want to bet that one of the girls is going to try fighting an intruder anyway?"  
  
"Sucker's bet." You roll your neck.  
  
You really hope Takane was just being defeatist.


	6. Decretum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minako finds out something they shouldn't have.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains upsetting imagery and violence.

Your name is Minako, and you've been left to stew on the fact that you're dating a magical girl. It's been a couple of days, and tomorrow is gonna be when you'll be able to date again. She told you she was busy (probably with magical girl stuffs) and you're still just wondering if you were hallucinating it or not.  
  
She jumped away and you saved a kid from killing himself. The area of the fence where he crawled out was quickly covered in tarp and it'll be repaired later today. You find yourself on the rooftop alone; Takane told you she'd be busy this lunch period.  
  
You frown and eat out of your box. It's a heart this time; a pink rice heart, perfectly shaped. Your mama's getting better in a very short amount of time. But you're still just...enh.  
  
You've been better. You miss having someone to talk to up here, and you haven't even been dating that long. You press the back of your head against the end of the fence and just...sit. You just kind of sit there. You stare up at the sky as the clouds drift lazily by.  
  
Then you hear a faint rattle. There's a soft patter of feet nearby, like a cat running across concrete. It's behind you, whatever it is, like a cat that somehow climbed up. You look behind you.  
  
There's nothing there. Whatever it is, it's missing now. You turn back to your food.  
  
Whatever just happened, you're already uncomfortable with it. You stuff more food into your mouth, eat your chicken, quickly devour the rice and kale and carrots, then close the box and turn around.  
  
Still nothing. Not a whiff or a sign or a hair of that small creature is around you. You narrow your eyes, then take a deep breath. You don't want to be up here alone, and your friends are downstairs anyway. You stand up...  
  
Then you hear a _thud._ You turn to see your girlfriend on the rooftop, hunched over, legs bent. She's dressed in a uniform you've never seen before, a green glimmering thing with a gem on her chest and fabric flapping in the wind. The entire thing disintegrates into the wind in a shower of dust as she pats herself and gives you a smile.  
  
"Hey." She waves her hand.  
  
"Uh, hey yourself." You wave right back.

You move in closer to her. "So, uh," you lean in. "I've been hearing something nearby."  
  
She blinks, then narrows her eyes. "Like a cat?"  
  
"Like...I guess?" You turn back to the rooftop. "I just heard it shuffling around."  
  
She pushes you slightly. "Let's talk downstairs." She looks towards the stairs. "It'll keep following you. Don't trust anything it says."  
  
"I...o-okay?" Takane doesn't give you time to process your confusion as she brings you down the steps and the door swings shut. For a split second, just before the lock comes down, you see a pair of pink eyes.  
  
You move downstairs with her, her arm around your shoulders. She keeps glancing back up the stairs, but she doesn't leave your side for even a second. You both reach the floor, before she moves in front of you.  
  
"What's that thing?" You ask. "I-I don't get it. What is it?"  
  
"It's..." she sorts through her words in her head. She tries to go for an explanation that is probably less crazy than 'I'm a magical girl', and you see the gears turning in her head. She coughs. "You know how magical girls have mascots?"  
  
"It's, wait, huh?" You blink. "What?"  
  
"That's what it is, but only on the surface." She glances back. "What it wants are more warriors."  
  
"F-for what?"  
  
"To fight an eternal war." She turns back to you. "Okay, what it does is that it grants you a wish." She crouches just enough to match your height. "It entices you with something that you think you want. It tells you what you want to hear, and it tells you that you can get it with just a single wish."  
  
You blink a few times. For a second you wonder if that wish is worth it. "Anything?"  
  
"Yes, anything." She frowns. "It's a trap. The bargain it makes is not worth the price of entry. It's also a vicious opportunist. It preys on you at your most vulnerable, when you're at your lowest. And nine times out of ten, it will find your weakness. Usually it's successful."  
  
You shudder, and look her up and down. Takane's smarter than you. She's wiser than you. Unlike you she kind of has some idea of what she's doing. If _she_ contracted... "Right."  
  
She rubs the top of your head and slowly pats your hair.  
  
"Myueeweeehhhh."  
  
"Heh, you _are_ cute." She looks up. "Just be careful, okay? I trust you."  
  
You wish you could say the same. "Date on Saturday?"  
  
"Date on Saturday, yes." She gives you a tight hug. You give it right back. "Later, Mina."  
  
"Same." You smile dumbly as you watch her walk back to the classroom. Of course, you have to follow her just a few minutes later.  
  


[=]

  
You walk home alone, separated from your friends. The streets look even more empty than usual right now, the dust spiraling across the pavement and a few pieces of trash scattering at your feet. You don't know why it looks so awful today. The streets aren't even unusually dirty, but you just feel unsettled.  
  
You scrape your shoes across the filthy concrete sidewalk, and the chill makes you zip up your hoodie. You instinctively shudder as the wind picks up trash and leaves and winds them through the streets.  
  
You hear the soft patter of feet again, this time to your right. Your head darts to the side, just in time to hear a loud, thunderous **_CRASH._**  
  
The alleyway to your right flashes with pink light as dust and dirt is thrown your way. You instinctively cover your head; it won't hurt you, but you _never know._  
  
As the dust settles, you stare down an open alleyway and past an overflowing dumpster that's been knocked backwards by the force of whatever blast sent it sideways.  
  
At the very end of the alleyway, you see a vaguely human-sized shape just lying on the ground. It's moving; clearly alive, if just barely. You see the smoke rise from it, and an aborted attempt to _breathe,_ every few seconds. Just above it, another humanoid figure presses its heel into the victim's left hand.  
  
You find yourself stepping backwards in shock. Sudden cruelty for no goddamn reason. You glance between the corpse and the person above it. Interrupting them would be fucking stupid. There is nothing you'd gain from doing that.  
  
So that's exactly what you do.  
  
"H-hey-" You start running towards them. You grab your bag. **_"HEY!"_**  
  
The attacker suddenly sees you. They take a bewildered step backwards, look you up and down, then just simply... _run._ They run down the alleyway, far from their victim and across the rooftops.  
  
You skid to a halt and look towards where the _thing_ escaped. You're hyperventilating; it's only now that you realize you were _scared shitless_ and you ran towards what was probably a fully-armed and extremely lethal magical girl. You take a few deep breaths to calm yourself down as the adrenaline drops and fear really starts to set in.  
  
"Sh-shit that was fucking stupid that was _fucking stupid."_ You pant and stare at the ground.  
  
And it's here that you notice that it's coated in splattered blood and bone matter. You see bits of ribcage just lying across the floor, some of it charred, most of it shattered. Your eyes trace up the trail towards the other body in the alleyway.  
  
Now that you're close enough, you can hear the body gasping for breath, and you can get a good look at her.  
  
You immediately regret it

  
The chest has been blasted open and her ribcage is splayed out. Her right arm is grasping at a ruined lung and the other grips a pink gem like her life depends on it, which it very well might. Her bright pink uniform is out of place among the charred flesh and smoke, and you desperately try not to smell it.  
  
She coughs and blood sprays from her mouth as she gives you a look. She's _alive;_ her heart (and you _fucking hate_ that you can see it) isn't beating, but her eyes are still staring at you in shock.  
  
"O-oh my god _oh my god oh my fuck oh my god."_ You have to fight the urge to vomit.  
  
She grabs at nothing. _"Heal...heal me...help..."_ She sputters. You look further down the alleyway. At the end there's what looks like a cannon on a stick, freshly fired. Further down, there's shattered concrete, and even further down, there are scorch marks.  
  
It's pretty clear she was fighting that other person; you just don't know why or what it was about.

You fumble your phone out of your pocket. Your hands slip against the e-glass before you tap it a few times and bring it up to your ear. The tone echoes until you hear Takane on the other end, out of breath.  
  
"Mina?" She pants. "Frick, I was in the m-middle of-"  
  
This whole situation depends on you being as calm and collected as possible. "Th-theresagirl and she's hurt and I don't knowwhatthefuck I'm doing holy _shit_ I-I'm I think I see her f-fucking _organs and lungs and-!"_  
  
"Mina, _Minako!"_ Takane almost shouts on the other end. "Calm down, where are you?"  
  
"I-I'm by the-by the _school_ I was just walking and I just saw a fight and th-then one girl jumped away a-and just-!" You run your hands through the hair atop your head and scratch at your undercut. "F-fuck she's hurt real bad."  
  
"Just hang tight. We'll be there soon, okay? Just stay by her." Before she hangs up, you think you hear a familiar voice on the line. You can't really make it out but it almost sounded like your mom's friend. You know _about_ her and her son but you never really got along with him in primary.  
  
You could muse on this, but you're a bit too busy pacing around the girl on the ground. She's just watching you with tears in her eyes and blood flowing out of her mouth and oh god you feel like you're about to fucking puke.  
  
Suddenly, you hear a rush of air. Takane hits the ground _hard,_ hard enough to shatter concrete. She skids across the ground. "Minako!" she shouts. "Did you see the other magi?!"  
  
"N-no." You shake your head. "T-thank fuck you're here," you mutter. "I-I just can't be..." You turn your head to see the other magical girl she brought over.  
  
[This woman is dressed in fullplate armor](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcgEHrwdSO4), and she lands towards the ground with a rush of air. Her cape flows like a pair of wings, the air rippling with energy and blue magic. Musical notes dash past your eye as her armor glimmers with golden lining and shimmering chainmail. Her hands are empty as she descends, but her weapon is on her hip and her shield is on her back, folded and ready to go. She descends towards you with a rush of air and a scream of violins.  
  
She's not wearing a helmet. And you can see her face. Blue eyes half-lidded, before she notices you and her expression turns to shock.  
  


"...m-mom?"


	7. Brutalism

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kyouko does some violent investigation.

Your name is Kyouko Miki-Sakura, and you are a badass. This morning you finished a major step in your goal of becoming a Mitakihara firefighter. Now, fires are rare in Mitakihara, but every so often there's a car on fire or some pyromaniac goes stone cold crazy or whatever, and you kind of like the rush of danger and helping people.  
  
Yeah, definitely the latter. Totally just the latter. Now, fires don't actually _do_ that much to you. Your magical element is the flame to your wife's droplet. But the thrill of walking through fire, no lie, has always been kind of enticing.  
  
Midday, you spent patrolling. You found a witch threatening to creep into Mitakihara through Kasamino. You quickly took care of it before it claimed too many victims and didn't even break a sweat.  
  
Now, you've decided to give the edge of town a perimeter check. Sayaka told you last night (after some R&R with your wife while your kid was out) that there was a hint of something brewing across the bay. You're walking by the edge of the ports as a few massive supertankers crawl their way across the horizon.  
  
The north side of Mitakihara is where the industrial district lies, where pipes and smokestacks pepper the skyline and spew steam into the air. After a few treaties, this part of town stopped looking so drab and miserable, what with the gleaming white towers and containers, but it still smells like industry.  
  
You're currently sitting on top of a building in a bomber jacket, a red Black Flag t-shirt, a cigarette in your lips, and a pair of skinny jeans. You huff your cigarette a little, blow some smoke into the air. It's your dirty little secret; Sayaka can't taste the cigarette smoke because you do a quick cleaning transformation before heading home. And it's not like you need your lungs that much anyway.  
  
You idly wonder if she knows you smoke but is just too polite to tell you. Eh, whatever. It doesn't matter. What matters is that she still loves you, and you love her, and you love your kid. You rise to your feet in a pair of ragged sneakers, and your back has "BORN TO FUCK" written in a single gigantic decal.  
  
You're staring across the road when you see a girl walking across the street. She looks about seventeen, with auburn hair, and from the few glances you can see, deep brown eyes. You might think she looks normal before she suddenly turns to look at you.  
  
You bring your stance a little bit wider as she just locks eyes, and as she walks towards you it becomes clear that she knows what you are. She knows _exactly_ who and what you are. Suddenly, this girl _leaps_ towards you. Experience tells you that she's clumsy; she cracked the concrete upon leaving the ground, using way too much force in too small a location. You can leap way more efficiently if you roll your foot, and make sure all kinetic energy is just transferred to your foot.  
  
She rears her hand back. Midway through the jump, her weapon forms in her hand. She's just going for an attack. She doesn't even know that you're a magical girl yet, but she's already attacking. She seems a little too happy to be getting into the fight, and judging by the poleaxe, she's a melee fighter.  
  
And, hilariously, she's going for an overhead strike. You take a step to the side.  
  
Her weapon slams into the metal walkway that you were just standing on and the momentum carries her forward past you and onto the catwalk. She tumbles across the pathway and, mid-roll, she transforms in a shower of brilliant oranges, reds, and yellows. Her uniform looks like a coat of leaves, covering her entire body head-to-toe in a display of autumn.  
  
You sigh. "You know, you chose the exact wrong day and time to stop by Mitakihara." You turn your cigarette to the side.  
  
"You're the adult magi?" She raises her poleaxe.  
  
"What's it to you?"  
  
"I'm here to kill you."  
  
"Heard that before." You take a step forward. "You have a few options." You raise three fingers. "One, you turn back the way you came. Two, you fight me, and you lose. Three, you fight my wife and me, and you _turbo_ lose."  
  
"Fuck off."  
  
You snort. "Oh, that's cute. Tryin' to talk shit to your elders." You bring your hand to the side.  
  
Your spear _bursts_ into existence with a rush of flame and a gust of wind. Your fingers flex around the shaft as the triangular head turns into a three-pronged winged spear and the chains clink and clank and lock into place. You raise your spear's head over your face before _sweeping_ it down, and your uniform shimmers onto your body. It glitters and glows before turning to scale mail, then into _fullplate._  
  
Your legs are covered by shining gold, angular metal sheets clanking into place on top of you. Your gauntlets slide into your fingers, your sabatons crash onto your feet. Your hair curls around your head, a brilliant mane of red as your breastplate emerges onto your chest. Your pauldrons look like brilliant, gorgeous flames, your chest a candle with a horse's head.  
  


  


The girl takes a horrified step back, but then she stands her ground. "Y-you can't scare me!"  
  
"Then I'll have to beat some fear into you." You twirl the spear over your head. The force causes the entire thing to break into segments mid-swing, the chains spiraling over your head before they _clack_ into place right at your side.

you could squash her like a bug if you wanted to. You could impale her through the chest, twist your blade, slice off her head, any number of things. But you're halfway through your thirties. She looks like she's not even eighteen yet. You twirl your spear over your head with a single hand.  
  
[The first thing you send out is an image.](https://youtu.be/0uP4qYBZVKE) The girl swings her poleaxe awkwardly, a wide, careless swing towards the face of your illusion. You follow it with a lunging spear thrust past her weapon. The girl's eyes widen in shock before she comes back with a follow-up swing. The attack is clumsy; her weapon is _massive_ and the head seems incredibly heavy.  
  
You give her a few quick pokes to the chest, one hand at the very back of your weapon, the other on the shaft. She blocks each poke with a swing before she deflecting you downwards, right into the railing.  
  
Your spear plunges into the catwalk, but instead of yanking it out, you instead _push it further in._ The spear's wings slice through the edge of the catwalk, and the entire structure _shudders_ under the sudden new weakness. The girl loses her balance, and you pull your spear out of the catwalk and _whip_ it to the side.  
  
She holds onto the side railing instinctively. You don't bother. The catwalk begins to dip further and further as you _swing_ your whip-spear around. The girl deflects each blow, but she's clearly getting tired just from your opening salvo.  
  
So of course that's when you bring out the big guns. _"Rosso Fantasma."_  
  
Arms emerge from behind you as you're surrounded by a burst of red. Your arms circle around your head, each one rotating around your body before you _twirl_ them. Red flames shimmer around you and point in all directions; towards the sky, towards the earth, over your head, and above your rock-solid abs. You know they're rock-solid because you worked _hard_ for that.  
  


  
The girl stumbles backwards as your hands flex and twist around your body. She pulls her poleaxe behind her...but then one of your many arms catches her blade. She freezes in shock before you twist your spear over your head. She tries to impale you before you _plunge_ it into the ground. You circle the spear over your head, each segment of the chains stuck in your hands.  
  
You _pull._ Each of your arms goes straight. Each segment _breaks_ off, the chain shatters apart, before they _all_ burst into their own individual spears. The girl in front of you tries to attack, but each time you just keep on deflecting blows and blows and blows.  
  
Finally, you're done playing with your food. You _throw_ several of your spears at her feet. She glances behind her before you grab the end of one spear. You _pull_ the chain across the ground. One hook _yanks_ into the girl's ankle, before the chain twists around her leg and around her body. She _falls_ over with a yelp. There's a soft sputter (probably her attempt at using magic) as she wriggles and tries to escape.  
  
You instead kick her over the edge of the catwalk. She screams in shock as the chain goes taut and she starts swinging just above the concrete floor.  
  
You casually walk over the edge. The catwalk's probably going to fall apart soon, and you're gonna just break it afterwards; you'd rather someone have to repair it rather than someone walk over a structurally compromised catwalk.  
  
You step in front of the dangling girl, cracking your neck and flexing your hands. "You know, I ain't the only adult Magi."  
  
She struggles against the chain. "Y-you said you had your w-wife?!"  
  
"Hah." You step in front of her. "Well, yeah." You push her forehead and she struggles against it. "Look. You were suckered. This isn't a real fight and it's not one you can win. You were sent in for a suicide mission. Or they wanted some intel and didn't _care_ if it got you hurt." You sigh. "Are you being extorted?"  
  
"W-what?" She struggles. "N-no I'm n-!"  
  
"There's nothing weak about admitting that you need help." You stand in front of her. "Do you have family in Kasamino?"  
  
She stops struggling. She looks at you for a second, chain rattling, body stuck in place. She looks away.  
  
 _That's a no._ "No family, nobody to miss you when you're gone. They thought that you're expendable." You lean over. "That's how I was."  
  
She doesn't say anything.  
  
You continue. "Look, kid. I don't want to hurt you. There's enough death and destruction with the systems at play here. But I can't help you if you're not willing to _be_ helped."  
  
She wriggles against the chains for a bit. She squeezes her eyes shut. "I-I don't want to be lectured by a fucking dy-"  
  
You cut her off. "Let's put it this way: if you go back and they were truly expecting you to kill me or my wife or any of the _numerous_ adult magi in town, then they're either going to shatter your gem or..." A quick look at her. She's older, she probably _knows._ "...witch you out."  
  
She doesn't react. She knew.  
  
"There are very few outs for you at this moment. But one of the safest that you can take is if you calm down and let me help you. I may even be able to find you a place to stay. Either with me or one of my friends." You dissolve just enough chains for her to let her arm out. "So, what do you say?"  
  
She stares at your hand, then at you. Her fingers flex and her jaw is set but every so often she looks past you towards Kasamino in the distance. Her jaw flexes again...before she raises her hand to yours.  
  
"Good choice." You shake her hand. You snap your fingers. The chains dissolve into a puff of dust and smoke, but there's still one more just hanging off the catwalk over your head. "Do you have a place to stay?"  
  
"I can handle just sleeping on the streets." She rolls her arms. "It's fine."  
  
You've done that yourself. She could probably handle some of it, honestly. Probably do her a little bit of good, and you don't want someone that you just fought to be in the same apartment as your kid.  
  
You also don't think Sayaka would like that very much.

"...Nah, no it ain't." You wave your hand. "Follow me." You start walking past her just under the still-dangling chain, but stop when you notice she's not moving.  
  
"I...I only just met you. Why-"  
  
"You ain't the first dumbass magi to fight us. We kind of have a protocol for this sorta thing." You grab the chain. "Now are you gonna follow me or what?"  
  
She stares at you, then at the ground, then at the catwalk over her head. Finally, she rolls her eyes and gets to her feet. "O-yeah, yeah, okay."  
  
"Good. Now do you like pizza, ramen, burgers or steak?" You pull the chain.  
  
"W-wha-" She's cut off when the catwalk hits the ground behind her with a thunderous _crash_ and the scream of crumpling metal.  
  


[=]

  
Twenty minutes later and you're inside of a pizza parlor. You've ordered your food, and now that you're here, the girl mostly just seems confused, like she doesn't actually know what she's doing right now. She traces her hand on the table, across the surface and to where the pizza's probably going to be in a few minutes.  
  
You watch her trace her hand. You _were_ keeping an eye on her to make sure she wasn't going to do anything stupid, but now you're kind of just getting bored. It's not particularly busy right now; you arrived before the evening rush, but the oven was also just getting fired up when you came in.  
  
It did give you a chance to call your visitor and her girlfriend.  
  
"You look bored," you say.  
  
The girl jumps in her seat. "W-what do you mean?"  
  
"You were just trying to kill me just under half an hour ago." You lean onto your hand. "And now you're kind of awkwardly tracing your hand like a bored kid."  
  
She stiffens. "I-I'm just...distracted and stuff."  
  
"Sure you are." You lean back in the booth. "Don't think I asked your name before."  
  
"Uh..." She looks to the ground nearby. "Uriko." She flexes her jaw. "It's Uriko."  
  
"Just Uriko?"  
  
She nods. "Yeah." She traces her hand again. "Dunno. Stuff. Yeah."  
  
Insightful. You lean onto your hand. "Well, okay. Just, no family, no last name?"  
  
"I don't wanna talk about it."  
  
Ah. _That_ kind of family. You take a breath and roll your chin over your hand. "Well, any friends?"  
  
"Uh...hm...mm...mmm..." She is rolling her hand on the table. It looks like a nervous tic. You take that as a 'no'.  
  
You lean over, before you turn to the side. You put your hand to your ear and make it look like you're leaning onto your hand. _'Hey for the love of god can you get here faster this is_ not going well.'  
  
 _'The bus is almost there, hold your horses.'_  
  
Your eyes almost bulge out of your head. _'WHY ARE YOU TAKING THE BUS.'  
  
'I'm bringing my girlfriend, lay off.'_  
  
You bring your finger to your chin. You think on the information; Tomo's last relationship was uh...five years ago? She didn't say anything about this girlfriend in the few times you've met, but those times were pretty much all magical girl business. She's not exactly _your_ friend; you're better friends with Yoko and Sukuyo. But Tomo was the least busy of them today.  
  
It's honestly not that surprising that she likes your wife more than you. You can get kinda abrasive. That or she's fuckin' weak. One of the two.  
  
Finally, the bus arrives just outside the window with a squeal of wheels and a hiss of hydraulics. The thing looms over the sidewalk as a small number of people step outside the doors and onto the brick walkway. You roll your head to the side to give Tomo a good look.  
  
Tomo's gotten an undercut in the years since you've seen her last, and her hair's incredibly short now. There are only just enough bangs to cover a little of her forehead, and her neck has a few thorn tattoos reaching from under her collar. She has a turtleneck underneath a grey blazer a pair of tight khakis over oxfords.  
  
She's like the ultimate in hipster dyke fashions. You and your wife are _well-_ acquainted with turbolesbian looks.  
  
Attached to her arm is someone that you're going to guess is the girlfriend; a petite Filipina woman, almost a full head shorter than she is but with a thick core. Her hair is blacker than Tomo's, if that were even possible, and she's in an open hoodie, a t-shirt, and sweatpants.  
  


  
The comparison is honestly kind of comical.  
  
They enter the restaurant, Tomo's hand over her head, her girlfriend giving you a nod. "So you're Koko?" she chirps.  
  
"Uh, Kyouko, actually. Koko's my pet name." You flash your teeth. "But don't worry, I top."  
  
Uriko blinks in confusion, then consideration, then _more_ confusion.  
  
Well, on the plus side, at least the kid doesn't know what you're talking about. You lean over. "You'll get it when you're older."  
  
Tomo just slides a chair over. "So, you got my order?"  
  
"Yeah I got what you and your GF wanted. Goat cheese, fig leaf, chicken."  
  
"Good." Tomo sits down. "Pizza's unhealthy already."  
  
"Not that it matters, haha. You're gonna burn those calories fighting witches." You tap your fingers. "I actually tried that combo before. It was, like, shockingly good."  
  
"Uh, pizza and witches?" The new girl scratches her chin.  
  
"No, Goat cheese and chicken." You roll your hand. "But yeah, like, how much do you-"  
  
"Everything." Tomo's girlfriend interrupts you before you can even finish the thought. "I had a magical girl friend in high school."  
  
"Ah. Right." You kind of wonder how Kyubey managed to keep a hold on things _before_. You've actually had a number of civvies who already know what magical girls are. Granted, they're _rare,_ but it's been happening more frequently over the past few years.  
  
It's probably nothing.  
  
You have a few minutes before the pizza gets here. It's a perfect time for you to ask some questions, get into her head.You can't shake the feeling that the circumstances surrounding Uriko are supremely suspicious, and well, it's impossible not to think about how her personality changed after you brought her here. "So, Uri, can I call you 'Uri'?"  
  
She shrugs. "I...I guess, sure."  
  
"Alright, Uri. So like, do you know anything about the Kasamino group? Anything at all?"  
  
She rubs her chin. "I mean, I knew...okay I knew about them like...before? Stuff." She doesn't seem to remember _anything._ You rub her head a little. "I just, I'unno. I should have more in my brain but I just...don't? I don't understand." She rubs her forehead.  
  
You grimace. "Fuck. Mindwiper?"  
  
"Not completely. I just have holes in my memory." She looks away. "I was already an orphan but I have a _complete_ blank when it comes to..." She pauses. "Oh. Oh! I know one girl-" She's interrupted when the waiter comes in with two pizza platters.  
  
"Alright, that's two pizzas, one _Animal Hater_ and one _Goat Fig Hipster."_  
  
You lick your lips as the two steaming pies are slapped in front of the four of you. You immediately start by shoving two slices into your mouth.  
  
The girl stares at you before stealing a few slices before the rest of the group can swallow them whole. You stuff another slice of pizza in your mouth and sloppily slurp your soda. "Okay, _so,_ you don't remember _them,_ but you remember everything else?"  
  


  
"Yeah." She traces her finger on her cheek, along her own jaw, before she shoves a piece of pizza into her mouth. Uriko _looks_ deep in thought, but the way she's eating that pizza says she was _hungry._ She swallows and continues. "I actually do have a name. It's the only thing I really remember."  
  
"Oh, do you?" You lean over. "Do tell?"  
  
"Rin."  
  
Tomo's girlfriend rolls her head on her cheek. "I've heard that name, actually." She looks up at the ceiling. "My ex was a magical girl in Kasamino. This was back before there was any gang or anything; we just knew that she was strong."  
  
"Huh." Tomo blinks. "Well, do you know about her powers, Renae?"  
  
"Well, nothing. I never met her. I just knew _of_ her. I left town after I broke up with her." She sips her soda. "Kinda hope she's okay. If things are actually that bad in Kasamino that there's a gang."  
  
"Huh. So a strong magical girl who thinks she's hot shit causes trouble across the bay...brainwashing powers?" You grunt. "Wouldn't be the first of her kind."  
  
"Brainwashing is completely ineffective against magical girls, though." Tomo sips her soda. "The way soul gems work means that they can't do shit."  
  
"Uh, what?" Uriko blinks. "I...I don't get it."  
  
You and Tomo just _stare_ at Uriko, before you glance to Renae and realize that she's just as confused as she is.  
  
"Yeah, I think there's a gap in my knowledge, too." She shrugs.  
  
You sigh. "Okay, lesson time. So, you both know that a Soul Gem is very, _very_ literal. However, a Soul is more than just life force or whatever. It's a manifestation of free will. It's the enemy of entropy; most objects follow physical laws and rules, where certain actions happen because of certain chemical reactions and whatnot.  
  
"Souls break that rule. Souls allow us to do whatever the fuck we want. They let us break the rules of the universe. It seems _small,_ but, well, that _fucking thing_ seems to think it's strong enough to reverse entropy.  
  
"A human body normally houses the soul, and that energy is simply spread throughout it. But when you take it out, a number of pretty strange things happen. The body becomes more resilient. You stop aging because as it turns out, your natural healing becomes _orders_ of magnitude more effective. All that wear and tear on your skin and flesh and bones is now gone. Your DNA will never fall apart. When you stop growing, you stop _aging, too._  
  
"And, as it turns out, keeping the soul away from the body means that mind control no longer affects you. Your free will is no longer a part of the piece of flesh that determines your thought processes. Your nature as a lich kind of means that you cannot be forced into a connection. A magical girl cannot force you into doing her bidding."  
  
You snicker. "One girl tried doing that and she was _shocked_ when it didn't work. Then Sayaka kicked her ass."  
  
"So there's gotta be something else going on." Tomo mutters. "Mindwipe? Empathy projection? Temporary suggestion?"  
  
"Those all kind of fall under 'mind control'." You roll your shoulders. "And, I mean, I think that-"  
  
 _'Kyouko, I need you right now.'_  
  
You raise your finger. "Hold up, wife's calling me." You turn towards the window. _'Yo, Saka, what's up?'  
  
'Minako knows.'_  
  
You feel your heartbeat stop.


	8. Slipped

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sayaka doesn't cope.

[Your name is Sayaka Miki.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHualEY9DJs) And after you healed that girl's chest, and realized that she was caught off-guard by her assailant, you left with your child.  
  
You had a lot to talk about.  
  
You could have discussed the reasons why you didn't talk to Minako about your _other_ job.  
  
You could have talked about how you and Kyouko risked your lives ever since you were teenagers, and you didn't want your kid to worry about it.  
  
You could have brought up the fact that talking about it leaves a pit in your stomach deeper than the Mariana Trench.  
  
You could have told them about how the _idea_ of them contracting leaves you sobbing at night, arms wrapped around your wife's waist as you try to go back to sleep and as she soothes you. Or how you have to do the same to her when she has bad nights.  
  
You could have told them about how you and Kyouko _both_ have bad nights, screaming, gnashing, waking up in the middle of the night to a dream of you as a witch, or you smashing the gem of a magical girl unlucky enough to be on the wrong end of your sword.  
  
You could have said something about how the thought of your kid knowing anything about that life terrifies you on a level so deep that it leaves you paralyzed, that it sucks the life out of your body, that you can feel your gem darkening at the thought of them contracting or getting too close to Kyubey.  
  
There were a million things you could have done between your kid coming of age, them dating a magical girl, and them seeing you healing someone's chest shut.  
  
So that's why you and Minako were dead silent on the walk back, save for an odd "Uh," "Um," or "Yeah".  
  


  
You're still two blocks away, when finally, Minako asks, "So, why'd you keep...uh..." they trail off.  
  
"Because you couldn't know." A stupid answer. But it should make sense in the moment.  
  
"Bullshit I couldn't know." Their voice lacks inflection. They're still processing things; you can tell. What you wouldn't give to read their mind.  
  
"Bullshit you _could_ know." You try to keep yourself from snapping at them. You had your fucking reasons. You really hate this conversation already and it's barely even much of one.  
  
It takes five more minutes for either of you to say something. Finally, Mina does. "Did you know about Takane?"  
  
"That she was a magical girl?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
You nod. "I did."  
  
"Hm." They look back forwards. "Good to know, mom."  
  
You hate this you hate this you _hate this._  
  
You round the corner to see Kyouko running down the street. Minako looks back to you.  
  
"Is she a magi-"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Mmhm." Minako clenches their jaw. You can't read their expression, and you're certain it's because they don't know how to feel.  
  
Kyouko slides to a halt. "How the fuck did they-!"  
  
"I fucked up." You run your hand through your hair. "I fucked up and I came in after Takane told me to heal a girl-"  
  
"Nono, no _no,_ you didn't fuck up by _helping someone,_ Sayaka." Kyouko's eyes dart to Minako. "Right, we have uh...explaining to do, right?"  
  
Minako's expression gets a lot more readable. They're _pissed._ "Yes. You do."

You lean down. "You're right. We do." You lean towards them. "Being a magi is," you swallow, _hard,_ "exhausting. I don't mean that you'll be tired when you're done. I don't mean that fighting is strenuous. Of course combat is tiring. That's not what I'm talking about when I tell you it's exhausting.  
  
"Have you ever heard me or your mama after a bad night? Have you heard us screaming? Because we still get night terrors. We still think about what we've seen. One of my first experiences was seeing a friend of mine have her _head bitten off._ She was my friend and _your mama's first crush."_  
  
Minako winces and Kyouko looks away. She breathes in through her teeth. "Please don't bring Mami up again, Sayaka."  
  
You shake your head. "Sorry."  
  
"No, it's fine. It's been years. It shouldn't bother me as much as it does."  
  
"Right." You look to Minako. "That girl in the alleyway is something I've seen many, many times. That scenario is distressingly common. It's not as common in Mitakihara, but that's because of the grief seed in the center of town. You know that monument at the school?"  
  
Your kid stares behind you. Peeking through the buildings, at the end of the street, the tip of the structure can still be seen. It's so big that it can be seen at pretty much any part of town.

"That is from one of the _things_ we've had to fight. One of the worst, most devastating monsters we've ever killed. We _still_ dream about it." You raise your hand to your temple. "Every other night I can still hear it _laughing._ It killed _thousands_ of people. It almost ripped a hole through Japan, turned Mitakihara town into a _crater,_ and days after its destruction, it caused a tsunami in the United States. You do not _want_ to be here, Mina. You don't want to _fight them,_ Mina."

Minako stays dead silent, eyes wide. They look down at your hands.

They're shaking.  
  
"I couldn't talk to you about this. I was _terrified_ of telling you about this. I still am. I-" You're losing your composure. You can't keep on this thread. You clench your hands. Open and shut. Open and shut. Open and _shut._

Fuck fuck fuck _fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck._  
  
You're in _public_ you can't _break down like this._ You are a goddamn adult you should fucking act like it what is _wrong with you._ You're crying and shaking over childhood shit like a fucking disaster what is wrong with you why are you so pathetic. Why can't your kid have a better mom. Why don't they have a mother that doesn't fucking lie to them? Why are you so pathetic.  
  
Kyouko deserved someone like Mami. She was already grown up when she passed. Your wife should have married her. She'd be better off. Maybe their kid would be less awful.  
  
Minako's not awful why are you calling them awful you fucking piece of shit.  
  
They deserve someone better than _you._ Your kid's just staring at you. They probably see how worthless you are right now. On your fucking knees groveling for forgiveness. Fuck you. Get up. Get fucking _up_ you stupid bitch. What are you doing.  
  
You have to keep talking what are you trying to accomplish just crying your life away you're going to lose them to Kyubey. They're going to wish for someone that's less fucking worthless. You're such a piece of shit mother. You should have died at Walpurgisnacht. Should have just stayed dead after Skadi crushed you. Should have just let that first scissor witch murder you. Should have should have should have.  
  
Suddenly you feel Kyouko's hand on your shoulders. You're still on your feet. You didn't fall to your knees. You felt like you fell to your knees. You feel weak. You want to vomit. You want to fall over. You want to just let the pavement take you. You haven't felt like this for a few months. Those were a nice few months.  
  
"Fuck." You rub your temples. "I thought I was better. I thought I could do it."  
  
"Nobody could." Kyouko rubs your back. She's wiping her own eyes. She's not doing well either. That's a relief. There's solidarity in suffering or...something.  
  


  
Yeah that's it right that's right you're alright. You're okay. You're hyperventilating. You're a disaster. Your wife's arms are wrapped tight around you. That stupid IDLES bomber jacket that looks like it's been through a warzone smells like her right now. You love the feeling of that awful jacket. You love hugging her. You love _her._  
  
"Let's go home." You breathe out. "I shouldn't be like this in public. I shouldn't be like this."  
  
"You're human, Sayaka. You just forget that sometimes."

[=]

Your name is Minako. Your moms finally brought you back home, and honestly, mom was not in a condition to keep talking anymore. But the point was pretty fucking clear.  
  
Takane is uncomfortable. Your moms are, too. Something about being a Magi is awful. Earth-shattering, even. And, worse, your moms were there for a long, long time. You can barely even comprehend that. You...actually no, you can't. They just said something about Walpurgisnacht.  
  
Honestly they were right, though. You've seen your moms spiral. You thought it was just anxiety or depression, and a particularly bad day. But this was the worst you've seen.  
  
...you need to text your girlfriend. She left after Sayaka descended. Like immediately, as soon as she realized who your mom was. You can't believe she was hiding this from you...too...  
  
No. No you can't call her on it. You don't feel good about doing that. You feel like shit for making your mom cry on the spot. You feel like shit for getting mad at her. You just feel like shit in general.  
  
Your mom deserves a better kid.  
  
...right you should text Takane.  
  
You scroll your finger across the screen of your phone. Your power's running low; you need to put your phone on your nightstand soon. But first thing's first.  
  


> Takakokoro said:
> 
> you: hey
> 
> takane: I'm so sorry I didn't know she was your mom I just thought you needed the best healer I know so I just brought her in.
> 
> you: no it's cool.  
> you: u didn't know.
> 
> takane: I should have.  
> takane: The signs were there but I just ignored them.

You've seen her be astute. Razor sharp when it comes to people. It's part of why you wanted to try dating her, right? She knows how people operate. She might know _something,_ right?

> Takakokoro said:
> 
> you: like?
> 
> takane: The fact that she's an older magical girl and that she has a wife.  
> takane: She mentioned having a kid. She didn't use pronouns.  
> takane: The signs where there but I just  
> takane: didn't pick up.
> 
> you: huh.

Truthfully you're annoyed and hurt. You feel like she was holding back on you. You feel hollow. But you also don't want to lash out at her. She isn't your parents.  
  
Your parents, who also don't deserve to be crumbling like this, either.  
  
Christ, you're just a fucking winner today, aren't you?  
  
Topic change. You should get your mind off of this. She deserves better than for you to drag your problems into her chatroom. Your girlfriend is wonderful. You haven't dated her for that long, but you...you really like her so far. You like her a _lot.  
_

> Takakokoro said:
> 
> you: so uh topic change  
> you: lightning smoothquick
> 
> takane: hahaha
> 
> you: so, any idea on where we should date next

She's quiet on the other end. A few minutes pass. You start to wonder if your connection's turned to shit, like this is an American connection. Finally, though, she answers.  
  


> Takakokoro said:
> 
> takane: I was thinking I wanted you to pick.  
> takane: :3

> Takakokoro said:
> 
> you: uwu i cant deciiiiide  
> you: is there anything out  
> you: iunno i don'/t watch many movies

Well, not in _theaters._ You definitely pirate a lot of them though. Lot of anime, too. An enormous amount of anime. An unholy fuckton of anime, most of which is probably problematic and embarrassing to admit that you like, but look you really like isekai. You _really_ like isekai.

Actually, there's a Goblin Slayer remake in theaters. It's their third time remaking the franchise. You never watched the original but you heard it was okay.

> Takakokoro said:
> 
> takane: Well, there is the 'I'm A Badass Sword Lady And NOBODY CAN STOP ME' movie...
> 
> you: ...  
> you: ...  
> you: ...  
> you: ...that sounds hot.
> 
> takane: oh my god mina
> 
> you: what?  
> you: it does!

She sends you a picture and you're immediately greeted by the image of a buff woman with a gigantic, gleaming blade, a spiral of blood and a sadistic grin on her face as she holds a tiny twink in one arm and a swooning princess on her back.

> Takakokoro said:
> 
> you: ................................................  
> you: ............................................................................................................................
> 
> takane: Is that a yes on going, or  
> takane: ?
> 
> you: that's probably a yes but also I was thinking about food.  
> you: look i want to see anime blood and boobies as much as the next enby  
> you: but also food is neat
> 
> takane: Well let's put it this way.  
> takane: I can pay for tickets.  
> takane: You can food.  
> takane: *pay for
> 
> you: it's a date  
> you: <3
> 
> takane: <3

You smile. That's kind of an extremely welcome distraction from the day's goings-on. You shuffle yourself under the covers. As you do, the figure of Guts on your shelf shifts a little bit alongside a figure of a woman with a gigantic straw hat, blue samurai armor, and a colossal purple nodachi.

You press your face into the pillow.

Then you hear the door open. Light floods in from the hallway, and you can faintly see the shadow of your mama's gigantic red mane. You think that thing looks ridiculous, honestly, but it suits her. It suits her really well.

["Hey, Mina."](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Jm0GZgCPNs)

You hold yourself. You try to look like you're sleeping, but you're not stupid enough to think that would actually work. She knows you're awake. "Hi, mama."

"You uh..." she trails off, rubbing the back of her head. "...know we love you, right?"

You curl up. "Y...yeah I do." That didn't sound sure enough. You feel it. "I do. Of course I do." That sounds too desperate. You should've just left it at 'I do'.

"Kid, you don't really need to convince me that you love us." She walks in. She doesn't look as wide right now; she's in an old tank top that she normally wears before going to sleep. She ruffles your hair.

You wriggle and push your head into it. "I love you, too." You stay there for a little while, your mama just rubbing the short hair on top of your head. It's a nice feeling. But you know it can't last. "So was what mom said true?" You look up. "Was it..."

"She left out a few parts." She looks away. "No, it's not like there's a hidden upside. I can tell ya for a fact. I'd be better off if I never did it."

She has an expression a lot like your mom's in that moment. A moment of dead silence. She looks almost like she'll burst into tears. Then she wipes her eyes. She always was the kind of person to hold onto her feelings.

"Hm." You roll back over onto your side and squeeze a plush cat that you keep hidden under the covers.

"But you know, Mina?" She smiles. "At least we got through it. And at least we had you."

You weakly pull your head out of the covers and give her a hug around her waist. "Love you, mama."

"Love you too, Mina." She rubs the back of your head. "I'm gonna keep a look on your mom. See if she's doing better now."

You nod before she leaves your room. The door shuts and all the light that came flooding in vanishes in a heartbeat. You roll over and start to drift off.

[=]

Your name is Sayaka and after your shower you didn't bother to get dressed again. You're currently lying face-down on the bed, your hair splayed out around your head, your eyes shut and miserable. You kind of cheated; you used magic to make sure your hair didn't get the pillows wet.

You hear Kyouko opening the door. "I talked to them, you big baby."

"Thnnanks Koko," you mumble into the pillow.

She frowns before bringing her hand up to your butt and giving it a squeeze.

You squeak. "H- _hey!"_

"Flustered you is cuter than sad you." Kyouko rubs her hands across your back. "You doing better?"

You answer truthfully. "No." You roll onto your back. You stretch your arms up and give your wife the biggest hug you possibly can. "I'm a fucking mess."

"Yes, you are." She rubs her hand across your collarbone. "And I love you."

"Wueeeh."

Kyouko considers just lying in bed next to you with her tank top. She considers it for a few more seconds...then she rolls her eyes, pulls it off, and scoots in. She raises your head, slides her lap into place, and lets you sit there.

  
"There. Much better." She slides her hand across your jaw. "Mina almost had me talking about my father."

You're dead silent. Seconds pass before you follow her up. "Well, did you?"

"No." She sighs. "...I think we might have to ask mom for tips and pointers."

"Oh!" You smile. "Oh, it's been a couple of weeks."

"She said she was going to be free again." Kyouko sighs. "She's been so busy."

You frown. "Right, right, yeah; she probably has that book meet again." You tap your chin. You've never actually read any of your mom's books. She started really getting into writing after she retired. She's apparently doing pretty well for herself; her latest light novel is even being adapted into a manga.

"It's a convention, not a book meet, Saka." She kisses your forehead. "But yeah, I think you need that."

You sigh. "I...right, yeah. I'll do that after patrol tomorrow. Do you have training?"

"Nope."

You prop yourself up against the headboard and move your back onto her chest. She wraps her arms around your waist and puts her chin in the crook of your neck. "I think she'll be happy to see us."


	9. Mario Kart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Miho is a good mom. So is Kyouko.

It's been a day, and you are still Sayaka. You are currently on your way out from the force after an exhausting day at work. You would have forgotten about what you were gonna ask...except it's kind of vitally important.  
  
Oh yeah, you almost did slip up at work. You're pretty sure they either didn't notice or they won't remember, though. It involved you dropping your phone and it sliding under a dumpster. And you just lifted the dumpster.  
  
Still, you should probably think about what to talk about with your mom. It'll be the first time in a couple of weeks and honestly you've missed her.

You press your hand into the floating numbers in front of your mom's door. The numbers are pushed back for just a second before they flash into a circle. A _ding_ echoes through the apartment, followed by a second, and a third.  
  
You hear someone go "Aw, _fuck!",_ followed by a rustle and multiple feet.  
  
Sounds like your mom had her partners over again. You lean against a nearby wall, cross your arms, and wait.  
  
_"I didn't know she was coming today!"_ you hear your mom's girlfriend whisper.  
  
_"It's fine! Just get dressed! Sayaka knows about you two."  
  
"That doesn't make this feel less weird, Miho!" _That would be her boyfriend.  
  
_"It's not weird unless you_ make _it weird."_  
  
Well, it's not really all that weird, especially considering the rest of your friend group. You and Kyouko have definitely had a few threesomes in your time, and you _know_ that plenty of your friends are polyamorous.  
  
But you're still not used to the idea with your mom. It took a while for her to finally work up the nerve to try dating anyone. Finally, the door swings open.  
  


  
There, right in front of you, with a spring in her step, a few grey strands in her lavender hair and a few crow's feet and wrinkles, is your mom. She rolls her wrist, pops her neck, and gives you a grin. "Hey, Sa-"  
  
You don't let her finish before you quickly give her a tight hug around her waist. "Hi, mom."  
  
She looks bewildered before she softens into a warm, glowing smile. "Having trouble?"  
  
"Yeah." You hold her tight. "Just a few things I gotta work out." You look behind her. "Your partners are here, aren't they?"  
  
"Oh, they are." She sighs. "You aren't uncomfortable with it, are you?"  
  
"Of course not." You smile. Honestly, you are, but she's looking happier than she did when she just abstained. That matters more than any discomfort you're feeling. "I missed you."  
  
"Saya, it's been a couple of weeks." She laughs.  
  
"I still missed you, mom."  
  
Miho gives you a soft smile. "And I missed you too."  
  
You walk into the hallway. This apartment's bigger than her old one, probably to hold the two extra occupants. You see her boyfriend on a nearby couch; he's in his forties, big and barrel-chested, with a Grateful Dead t-shirt on. He gives you a wave.  
  
You wave back before you reach the porch. From here you can see most of Mitakihara, stretching on and on into the distance under a slowly setting sun. Your mom sits next to you with a full kettle, and she pours both of you a cup.  
  
"Kid problems?" she asks.  
  
You waste no time. "They found out."  
  
Your mom freezes. "...ah." She pulls the strap of her tanktop. "That's...problematic."  
  
"Mina didn't take it very well."  
  
"Well of course they didn't." Your mom leans her head on her hand. "You kept that secret for a while." She sighs. "Shit, I thought you learned after telling _me_ about the whole magical girl thing."  
  
"I thought I did too, but I was just...scared, you know?"  
  
"Yeah." She sighs. "But you know, you really couldn't hold onto that forever. I tried keeping the whole thing about your father's suicide from you."  
  
You wince.  
  
"It obviously didn't work out. Secret-keeping has never, ever worked out. Us Mikis are _terrible_ liars."  
  
"Kyouko's better at that than I am," you mutter.  
  
"And she's probably the only reason you kept that secret for so long." She looks you over.  
  
"I was just scared, you know." You breathe in. "I thought I wasn't gonna be able to keep my composure."  
  
"Well, you proved that wrong, didn't you?" She smiles at the distance. "I know my daughter. My headstrong, brilliant..." She turns to look at you and her smile drops right off her face. "Sayaka?"  
  
"No. I didn't." You suck air in through your teeth. "I spiraled in the middle of the street. I haven't had an episode that bad in months."  
  
Miho leans over. "Oh, Sayaka, no."  
  
"I thought I could handle it, too. I thought I was that strong, able to handle that conversation but I just...I _couldn't."_ You look up at the sky. "I can't even talk to my kid right about something that could affect them. Something dangerous that could kill them but when the chips were down and I needed to explain to them I just, the words died in my _throat._ I could feel them trying to spill out but it felt like I was going to vomit on the street."  
  
"...I really hope you haven't stopped-"  
  
"I haven't!" You say, probably a bit too quickly. You wince at yourself. "I still see my therapist. I still have the medication."  
  
"Good." She leans over. "I was worried."  
  
"I thought I was better." You lean back in your chair.  
  
"Well that's the thing." She reaches out to your shoulder. "You always think you're better than you actually are. You think the scars have healed over when they're just waiting to split open. The stitches can break, and it will consume you. There is a reason it took me thirty years to date again."  
  
You look down to the streets below, think about how far the asphalt is. There's probably a metaphor for how you find it pretty hard to actually experience physical pain right now. "Hrm. Right."  
  
You're both quiet for a while. There's nothing but the faint sounds of traffic and pedestrians from the street below, the occasional swear and sometimes a greeting. Suddenly, you ask, "So what's up with you?"  
  
"Oh, I've signed another contract. It's under NDA so I can't talk that much ab-"  
  
"Is it the mech thing?"  
  
"It's the mech thing." She smiles. "I'm surprised they liked it as much as they did. Magical girls in giant robots sounds _ridiculous."_  
  
"Well, dumber things have sold." You shrug. "Like there was the whole isekai craze...I still remember that."  
  
"Oh, god, trying to tell stories back at the tail end of that was nightmarish."  
  
"I thought you managed to break in around then."  
  
"That doesn't mean I _liked_ it." She lays back in her chair. "Did you even read my first book?"  
  
"I was training then, mom." You roll your shoulders. "I didn't have the time to."  
  
"Sure you did." She sighs. "Not that it was great anyway. Oh, but I did so well later on..."  
  
You both keep talking well into the evening.  
  


[=]

Your name is Kyouko Sakura, and currently, you're with Minako. You decided to take them to the arcade after school, maybe give them a talk, maybe explore things a little. You had a good talk the previous night, but...  
  
...well, you hardly think that was enough. The kid's been through the ringer; Sayaka filled you in on what happened, what they saw. You kind of had a feeling in the back of your mind that Mina was going to know about your past as magi eventually.  
  
You didn't think it was going to be _this soon._ So _eerily close_ to where you and your wife contracted. The thought makes you so wildly uncomfortable, like you can see the _rat bastard_ staring behind you, watching your every move. You hadn't seen _it_ in a few months, and when it happened, you didn't even give it the chance to speak.  
  
You kicked it hard enough to powderize its stupid furry fucking face.  
  
And you're prepared to do it again, and again, and again, and _again_ until it either gives up or dies for real. You don't care which comes first.  
  
But instead of that, what you're getting is an awkward silence among a bunch of squealing machines, blinking lights, and shifting arcade cabinets. You and Minako have a number of tokens. You could play some games.  
  
You'd rather talk, but you could play some games.  
  
"...Mina?" you start.  
  
"Yeah, mama?" They don't turn to you. It's so obvious they're distracted.  
  
"You uh, got any idea what we're gonna play?"  
  
They keep staring ahead. Suddenly, they rub their face. "Right, right uh...DDR."  
  
They suck at DDR. They didn't inherit _either_ of their moms' natural dancing talent. They have two left feet and they hate the songs on the machine.  
  
"You sure?" you ask. "Mina, you don't have to play if you don't want to."  
  
They bite their lip. "So I dunno, Mario Kart?"

"That sounds more like a you choice." You say.

You crack your knuckles. "So, we gotta Mario Kart." You find an eight-row-long set of Mario Kart machines, take out your cards, and slide them across the steering wheels. It instantly processes your tokens, and you hear an aging Charles Martinet scream _"LET'S-A GO."_  
  
You can't believe he can still do the voice this well.  
  
You wrap your hands around the wheel of the console and pick your characters; you choose Rosalina on a motorcycle (because you're predictable) and Minako chooses Pink Gold Peach (because they know how much you hate that character).  
  
You shoot them a glare. They shoot you a toothy smile. You have to fight down the urge to giggle; at least they're feeling good enough to try pissing you off.  
  
The race actually starts, and as the first few laps pass by, they start to feel better. A couple races in and they're actually having fun. Of course, this being an arcade, it'd be boring as shit to stay at just one game. So you move on to a light gun cabinet.  
  
It's child's play to you with your frankly superhuman aim, but you can definitely make sure you don't just clear the screen and make it boring as fuck for Minako.  
  
So that's why you decide to pick the side with the sniper rifle; Minako gets the close-range shotgun on their screen and you have to pick off threats from afar. You're honestly surprised you hadn't seen a game like this before last year.  
  
A level in and you decide to go ahead and talk. It's been fun, but you still wanted to bond. And goddammit, Mina's gonna bond whether they want to or not. "You doing better now, Mina?"  
  
"Huh?" They fire a shot and a robot explodes into shards. "Uh, yeah, yeah I am." They whip around to fire another shot. "Just uh, stuff. Distracted." They fire again.  
  
A robot's right behind them. You snipe it out of the air before they even notice. "So you gonna go on another date with, uh, your girlfriend?"  
  
"Yeah." Minako reloads. On their end, it's a matter of slapping a button and pushing in a big plastic magazine. You get to see the animation start and end with each button press. "We're gonna have a movie and see dinner. Uh, see a dinner and have...fucking- _have dinner and see a movie."_  
  
You fire a few rounds. Each one hits a target. "Dinner and a movie?"  
  
_"Yes!"_ They shoot a larger mook. This one explodes into goop. "Shit, sorry, didn't mean to get mad; I'm just tongue-twisted."  
  
"No, no I get it." You fire again. "It's hard to multitask."  
  
"Does being a magi help that?" yhey ask in the middle of a reload. "Multitasking."  
  
"Kinda?" You shrug. "I mean my reflexes are fuckin' sharp, but a lot of that is more than just magical abilities. It's training. I've been at this for a while."  
  
They whistle. "Huh."  
  
"Like, I've been holding back. You wanna see what I can do just like, firing normally?"  
  
"Do it."  
  
You grin. You pull back the plastic bolt-action mechanism and _clear the screen._ Eat shot is machine-like in precision. You barely even have to look down the tiny little scope to see your target. Each shot comes with a death, and the reload is lightning-fast. Every single enemy walking down the path is obliterated as you fire and fire and fire and _fire._  
  
Their character just stands in the middle of a bunch of carnage, and you see their hands just drop down by their sides. "...holy shit, mama."  
  
"Your mama's good at video games." You shrug. "So's your mom."  
  
"She's...uh...not great at lying, though."  
  
_Ah, shit. Here it comes._ "No. No she's not." You sigh. "Neither of us are great at it but we didn't want to talk about it." You fire the rifle. Minako's actually playing the game again, but it's around the end of the second stage.  
  
The third stage starts with a bullshit token-eating assault, so Minako doesn't even try to shoot all the targets. They fall almost immediately, and Minako walks past the screen and right towards you. "That was kinda uh...yeah."  
  
"I'm guessing that's what was bothering you."  
  
"A little." They shrug. "I just...Iunno, I'm not great at artic...arctic...talking about it."  
  
"It's hard to articulate, yeah."  
  
Minako purses their lips. "Fuck off."  
  
_That_ makes you chuckle. "Well it is! It's hard as shit! Nobody's really great at talking about that kinda thing."  
  
"Well, I mean, there was just...ugh. I just felt...dunno. Useless?" They shrug. "I feel- _felt_ useless. And like I was lied to because I'm useless."  
  
"Mina, come on. You're not." You give them a tight thug. "You're not useless just because your moms are dumb and thought lying to our beautiful kid was a good idea."  
  
They whine in your grip, but it takes no time for them to return it. "Brnnngh. I'm just tired, I guess." They look to the ground behind you.  
  
This isn't really a solution. But it'll work for now. "Well, let's get some ice cream, alright?"  
  
They nod. "Yeah. Yeah, that'd be nice."  
  
You grin. "Oh, there was a place that sells apple ice cream..."  
  
Their eyes light up. You swear you can hear their heart sing at the thought.  
  
You love being a mom.

[=]

Your name is Sayaka, and currently, you find yourself walking down the road alone. You left your mom's apartment well after a good talk, and you were even able to change into something a bit more casual than your uniform, which is currently hanging in a bag on your back. You crack your neck mid-walk, pop your jaw, and let the cool evening breeze rush over you.  
  
Kyouko let you know where she and Minako were, so you'll probably meet them at home after you patrol this part of town. Yesterday was Kyouko, so of course today is you.  
  
And, well, you made sure Kyouko told Minako that you were on patrol. You take a few steps forwards, past a streetlamp. You don't sense any witches, which is either a really good sign or the sign of someone clearing them a bit too enthusiastically. You take a few steps down the road, under a street lamp.  
  
You hear a can bounce across the ground. You take a quick look. Nothing. No signs of anything hostile. You take another step forwards.  
  
You hear the faint sound of a fuse being set. You narrow your eyes. Time to take a risk. "You know..." you start. "Kinda funny that you're being this aggressive when you just got into town," you shout into the night. Worst case scenario, you look delusional. Best case, this makes your attacker wary.  
  
"You're making a big mistake." You turn. "I don't know who you think you are, but last night, I found a girl in an alleyway with her torso blown wide open." You hear a faint voice, and words that sound vaguely like 'oh, _shit!'._  
  
"So, you have two options. One of them keeps you safe, the other puts you in a world-" You're cut off when there's a cannonshot. There's a flash of bright yellow as a bullet screams through the air. The shot is powerful, blindingly bright as it screams over the concrete and towards your torso.  
  
You step to the side, but not even you can dodge bullets.

It _slams_ you in the stomach, glancing out of the side of your sweater, tearing a hole through your side before it rips out of your back in a spray of sparks and blood. You stumble backwards, more in shock and annoyance than pain, before you promptly get back into a fighting stance.  
  
"That was a _mistake."_ You clap your hands. Your sword and shield are the first things up, and just in time, too; the mystery girl fires a second shot, but you block it with a massive tower shield. The dust and smoke provide a perfect screen for you as your armor emerges, fully-formed upon your person.  
  


  


You pass your hand over the hole in your stomach, spit out some blood, and take a few steps forward. "I'm still giving you a chance! Final warning!"  
  
This time, you see the shot coming. You bring your cutlass up just as a shot passes in front of you. The halves of the bullet, a softball-sized, spherical ball of metal, splits in front of your face. One half slams into your shield, the other flies into the ground behind you.  
  
Yeah, you gave this girl her chances, and it's looking like you're in for a fight.


	10. Interloper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sayaka meets with a magical swordsperson.

You whip the sword around as the girl fires another cannon shot. This one hits the shield dead-on, briefly knocking it back, but it's not enough to stop you from slamming the base into the concrete. The bullet clatters against the ground in shards before you _sliiiiiiiiide_ your entire shield through the concrete.  
  
A tiny aperture in the front of your transforming shield opens, just enough for you to see out of as you charge through the ground. You split the sidewalk apart as you charge, sword back as the girl fires another desperate shot. This one just barely glances against the opening in your shield, and you see her begin to dash to the side.  
  
Not good enough. You peel off after her as she dashes under a street light. This girl's outfit is purple-ish with spots of pink and red, including a laced corset, and her hair goes from white to pink tips.  
  


  
"Oh, shit, shit _shit!"_ She fires again in a panic.  
  
The shot misses completely, and that's your cue to pick up the pace. You drag the shield across road, careful to keep your entire body low and close to the ground as she swings her weapon (it looks like an ancient gonne) around her head. She brings it down for a melee strike.  
  
You simply block it with your shield. The hit is strong enough to _break_ the end of her weapon, snapping the gonne right off the tip of her pole.  
  
"H-holy f-" You follow up by simply _shoving_ the entire shield forwards.  
  
She grunts in pain as a wall of metal smacks her in the face and sends her rolling backwards. She hits the ground hard, but keeps rolling, a new gonne already in her hands.  
  
"Experienced; you kinda know what you're doing." You keep the shield in front of your face as you speak. "But trust me, keep this up and it's not going to end well."  
  
"Shut the _fuck_ up," she hisses. "Y-you're the magi that's been-"  
  
"Protecting Mitakihara from intruders, yes." You keep square with her. Every time she threatens to move to the side, you keep pace. She keeps trying to get around your shield, trying to juke you. The joke is that you have pretty extensive practice holding this weapon, and as it turns out, _exercise matters,_ even when your baseline strength means you can throw cars. "There's only been one fatality in the past three years, and I'd rather keep it that way."  
  
"So you _have_ killed-"  
  
"Of course I have." You narrow your eyes. "There's no way to get around lethal force in this line of work. And it's rich that you're trying to hold the high ground. That girl you shot? Iruko is in _primary._ Her mother works at a _day care._ She's lucky I can heal that kind of injury, because otherwise she'd have witched out on the _spot."_  
  
She winces at the mention of Iruko's age. "Y-you're lying-"  
  
"There is no reason I'd _want_ to lie." You keep pace. "I'm not here to control, I'm not here to kill. I just want to keep these girls as safe as I can manage." You try to look for signs of manipulation. A glint of the eyes, an awkward stare, an empty look.  
  
This girl's terrified. Her eyes dart around as she stares at you, then up above, like she's expecting someone to swoop in.  
  
You've seen this before. "We can protect you." You say. "We have fifty-five magi in this city, sixteen of whom are fully grown adults. We have more than enough resources to support everyone." You don't know when the Walpurgis seed is going to burst, but honestly there are signs of when seeds are starting to fill to the brim. It has not reached that point yet, no matter how many girls are here. "We don't take kindly to extortionists."  
  
"F-fuck off!" She's looking up again. She keeps her gun trained on you, but she keeps on looking into the sky.  
  
You just know someone's going to try swooping in.  
  
"My wife found another one of you coming in, a girl named Uriko-"  
  
"U-Uriko?!" The girl lowers her gun. "S-she's here? She's _safe?"_ She breathes out. "O-oh my god fuck fuck fuck-"  
  
"She's okay _now._ She was under the influence of _some-"_ You hear a swooshing from behind you. One of the lights behind you bursts out of existence in a shower of sparks and twisted metal. You see the thin wisp of a blade pop out of the shadows, and that's your cue to jump in front of the girl.  
  
The wispy sword _slams_ into your shield, magical blade biting into it with enough force to lift your feet off the ground. The girl behind you screams in shock before the combined weight of your shield and armor knocks the wind out of her lungs. "F-fucking-!"  
  
You slide across the ground, then throw your sword into the concrete. It _explodes_ in a shower of smoke and metal and asphalt before you whip out a third sword and turn it into a third tower shield. "Stay close!" you shout as all three shields prop themselves up.  
  
She pulls her weapon up, rests it on your shoulder as you bring out a brand new sword and shield. You pull the shield in front of you, whip out a grief seed, and slam it into the central mouth of your breastplate. There's a bright glow from the soul gem in your plate before you pull the grief seed and slap it onto your arming belt.  
  
"H-how do you _do that?"  
  
"Practice!" _You make a brand-new cutlass and slam it into the base of your newest shield.  
  
The weapon transforms around your hands, pieces shifting, twisting, moving around you. The four towers at the top of your shield pop off before shooting right back into the hilt of your blade. The base of the shield _plunges_ into the dirt before you twist and turn and _sliiiiiiiiiiiiiiide_ it out to the side in a spray of asphalt and concrete.  
  


  
The mystery assailant tries to slip by you to attack the girl, but what they get instead is a face full of greatsword. They barely have time to put up their wispy, invisible sword to block when you swing with enough force to slice a bus in half.  
  
They're knocked out of the smoke and into reality as soon as they touch the light; a person that's a head shorter than you, only a year or two older than your child. You promptly press your hand against the back of your giant cutlass.  
  
The kid shakes their head, wispy katana holding tight against your sword, before they suddenly get a cocky little grin.  
  
You know what's coming. You shove forwards, then jump back. A sword passes right in front of your neck, slitting your throat. You press your hand to your neck, and before you even hit the ground, the wound's gone.  
  
The magi in front of you blinks in surprise, then they scowl.  
  
This one doesn't seem like the talking type.

You tilt your sword just enough for their blade to slide past. Your opponent stumbles forwards before you slap your off-hand against your chest. Your breastplate rattles and your soul gem _gleams._ The mouth of the three-eyed face on your chest glows a bright blue before the eyes form a shimmering blue floodlight.  
  
Your opponent gasps in shock as they're brought into full view of your light, still a wispy shadow, but with a clearly human face and a white soul gem. They're covered in belts and trinkets and bits of metal, and they jangle with each and every step as they stare at you. They hiss, and on their back you see four swords, each one spewing smoke and steam as they take a step backwards from your light.  
  


  
You lower your sword, slowly circling the opponent as the girl with the gonne slips behind one of your shields, careful to keep her eyes on this new opponent.  
  
"Probably would be a better idea to not threaten one of your own. Build some trust. Be a more effective leader." You spit on the ground. "Or you can-"  
  
They dash at you mid-sentence. You block the attack, quickly pulling a smaller cutlass out of your greatsword. The larger blade stays in your right hand as you _swiiiiiiiing_ it wide and slam it back on top of the smaller blade.  
  
"Guess that answers _that."_ The base of the sword locks into itself and flexes back into place. The magi in front of you then _dashes_ to the side, quickly out of view of your chestpiece. You bring your sword to your shoulder and turn quickly. One of the shields that you left on the ground flashes with sparks as a blade scrapes the edge. Smoke wisps around the shield as the gonne girl fires a wild shot into the air.  
  
This actually spooks the wispy magi, just long enough for you to dash right towards them. Your chest beams a light right on top of them, just in time for you see that this person lacks _feet,_ their legs ending in two pillars of smoke that float above your shields. They twist to meet you with a blade and they pull out a second one just for good measure.  
  
The force of your jump and swing is enough to send them careening backwards into the asphalt, both blades still just barely in their hands. This is your opportunity to disarm them _immediately,_ at least somewhat. So that's what you do.  
  
You go for a wild golf club swing and they lay themselves flat on the ground to try and avoid it. The blades are knocked clean out of their hands, and before you can come down on them a second time, they bring up their remaining swords and swing for your leg.  
  
Their swords _clang_ against your armor, just deep enough to scratch it but not deep enough to actually touch flesh. Their eyes widen in shock before they look back up at you.  
  
"Yeah, it actually works." You raise your foot just over their chest, careful to avoid the soul gem on their neck, and as you do, you note the terror in their eyes. "Sorry."  
  
And _stomp._  
  
The belts crinkle and bend before you hear a loud _crack._ They yelp. "Y-you-!"  
  
"Bitch, monster, are the worst, beast." You intentionally keep your inflection as flat as possible. "Look, you-" you're cut off when you press your foot further and the clone underneath disintegrates into smoke.  
  
 _"You missed."_  
  
Your eyes widen before you _immediately_ take a soaring leap backwards. The girl below you wisely keeps behind the shields, before suddenly a blade _slices_ an arm off. She stumbles to the side, pulls her gonne up, and _fires._  
  
The flash illuminates the magi, just enough for you to get your chest-mounted floodlights on them. They freeze in front of you, still holding their chest. They glance at you, then at the girl, before attempting another strike.  
  
This time, you kick your shield. The one-armed gonne magi takes a step back before you _plunge_ the greatsword into the shield. There's no transformation this time, just a blade impaling a sword through a hilt that's _way too small_ for it, before you _sweep._  
  
The shadow magi is knocked sideways, bouncing across the pavement and into a street lamp. The shield, now damaged beyond repair, _smashes_ into a nearby car's engine block hard enough to send it sideways, while you follow up with a quick run.  
  
The Magi glances at you, then at the side wall, before they _dash,_ sliding over the wall, past the wrecked car and into the night. Behind you, the girl tries to reload her gun, before she realizes that she now only has one arm. She stares at the bleeding stump, eyes wide and teeth clenched. "A-ah..."  
  
"Hold still." You pick up her arm (miraculously, it's still in one piece) and press it against the stump. You trace your finger over the wound, carefully turn her arm around, and keep it in place as a series of musical notes and strings play through the air. You give her a smile and a nod as she shakes her head and mutters.  
  
You keep close to her, careful to keep watch of the street in case your would-be assassin pops up again. You send out a signal through the area.  
  
 _'Be on the lookout. We got an assassin magi. They're covered in belts; consider them armed and dangerous. Keep a light on. If you have an illumination ability, I heavily recommend you use it.'_  
  
You get a message back immediately. _'On it, Sayaka.'_ You hear one of your older apprentices, Sukuyo, on the other end. _'Just finished inking for the day. I got time to keep track of the Kasamino bridge.'  
  
'You're a lifesaver.' _You press your hand back over the girl's arm before you pull back the still-cut fabric. The wound's cleared. "Flex your hand."  
  
She moves her fingers, good as new. "Y-you're the healer, too?"  
  
"Yeah. I already said that."  
  
"Oh..." She bites her lip. "O-oh, uh, right you did." She scratches her head. "I'm an idiot. Fuck."  
  
"Yeah. You are." You stand up and offer your hand to her. She keeps on flexing her fingers, clearly amazed at how well they're working, before she follows you up. "We'll follow you up, but first? First I'm going to keep you with Uriko."  
  
"R-right." She sighs. "I-I just, I panicked when-"  
  
"Don't apologize yet. We still have shit to clear out." You look her over. "Name first."  
  
"H-Henrietta!"  
  
You blink. That's an unusual name to have.  
  
"M-my mom's German."  
  
Okay good, she has parents.  
  
"W-was. She was."  
  
Oh. _Had_ parents. You grimace as you stand up straight and lean against the bent light fixture. "Kyubey really likes desperate girls."  
  
"W-what was that?"  
  
"I was talking to myself." You look her over. "Is Uriko your girlfriend or...?"  
  
"F-friend." She pushes her hair behind her ear. "I-I'm not gay. N-not that there's...u-uh...y-..." She stares at you. "Right, wife."  
  
"Yeah-huh." You try your hardest not to roll your eyes. This girl's terrified. She just had her arm cut off and she's still running on an adrenaline high. "Okay, first thing's first." You press your arms against her shoulders. "Calm down for me, okay?"  
  
"N-n...o-okay. O-okay I will. Okay." She breathes in through her nose, and out through her mouth. "I-I thought sh-she was going to kill me."  
  
"They."  
  
"They, right." She shakes her head. "Fuck I just can't think I can't think."  
  
"Breathe in..."  
  
She inhales through her nose. You deliberately move extra, _extra_ slow.  
  
"Breathe out."  
  
She follows.  
  
"Breathe in..."  
  
Once again, she inhales. She looks like she's starting to slow down a little; she's getting less jittery under your hands.  
  
"Breathe out...good." You smile at her. "You're getting better."  
  
She smiles back, almost like she forgot that you sliced one of her shots in half. "R-right. Right, yes."  
  
She seems to almost be in a state to answer questions now. So you ask her "Hey, do you uh...sorry I need to ask if you're able to answer a few questions."  
  
Her back goes ramrod straight. "Sh-shit right right right right." She breathes in. "I-I don't know much I just-"  
  
"Don't answer anything if you're not in a good state of mind." You press your hand into her shoulder again. "Take another deep breath."  
  
She hyperventilates instead. You're thinking that this is probably the calmest you'll get her.  
  
"Okay, let's give this another try." You keep a gentle hold on her shoulder, careful not to grip too hard, not to lean in too close, not to look too threatening in your gleaming blue armor and enormous white cape. "What do you know about the assassin magi?"  
  
"Th-they're an enforcer. T-the Glow has a ton of them. They k-keep the peace, cut off loose ends." She stares back at you. "They wanna keep information at a p-p-premium."  
  
You have a name now. The group calls themselves 'The Glow'. "Because they don't want people like me snooping around."  
  
"Yeah." She breathes out again.  
  
"Any other magi?" You ask. "I know about you and Uriko."  
  
"It was just us. I s-slept in a dumpster so I couldn't be tracked."  
  
You wince. "Any reason you came in guns-"  
  
"I panicked! I-I just, I turned around and this magi told me that I didn't look familiar and I just, I just _panicked and-"_ Henrietta pressed her hands into her face. "I-I'm so sorry I'm so sorry I didn't-"  
  
"Easy, _easy!"_ You hold her shoulders again. "She's okay now. It's not the first time I've healed a magical girl." Nor will it be the last. "That can't be the only reason."  
  
"W-we were told to go after the adult magi." She says. "Th-they never said how many there were, but I don't think they knew. I think that's why they sent us." She sniffs. "They didn't need to convince Uriko b-but that Enforcer was...they were why I came in."  
  
"Because you didn't...?"  
  
"Because they didn't convince me." She sniffs. "I-I don't know how their leader does it but she...she does _something_ to people. They don't come out the same."  
  
"Magi are immune to mind control." You say. "It's intrinsically a part of how we operate."  
  
"She didn't get the _memo,_ then. Because she...I don't know why I was immune but Uriko was _not."_ She stares at you. "She's...she's not under _her_ influence, is she?"  
  
"No. It faded after my wife took her in."  
  
Henrietta breathes out a long, long sigh of relief. "Oh thank god. Thank _god."_ She breathes out. "I just...I can't lose her again."  
  
You raise an eyebrow. "Are you sure you're straight?"  
  
She looks down at the asphalt. "Iunno?"  
  
Oh this dumb baby. "Okay so what about plans? Goals, ideals, anything? What do they want out of Mitakihara?"  
  
"I'm a nobody." She says. "So is Uriko. But I think they heard about the massive number of Magi in the city and wanted to know why this is so sustainable. And if I'm gonna guess maybe they want to take that for themselves?"  
  
You snicker. "They can try. They're not the first attackers to come to town, and there's no way they'll take the Monument."  
  
"Wait, _monument?"  
_  
"...yeah." You say. "Didn't that thing look strange to you?"  
  
"I thought it was _abstract art!"_ She sputters. "That's what the secret is?"  
  
"That's a grief seed." You say. "it's a gigantic grief seed."  
  
She just sits there in shock. "O-Oh. _Oh._ Oh my _god."_  
  
"I killed that witch myself." You shrug.  
  
"N-no wonder there are so many." She shakes her head. "W-what if that-"  
  
"It won't." You say. "Not any time soon, I don't think. It'll probably last a hundred or so years." You shrug your shoulders. "I thought it would be out after a decade. But no, it's still strong." You have no idea if the Incubators could even consume the seed. And honestly, good. Fuck that entire species. "Oh, adding on, do you know of any other members?"  
  
"I...there are a few bigwigs, yeah." She scratches the back of her head. "Ten, including Rin. She's the oldest, and probably the strongest."  
  
You blink. "That's not a small feat."  
  
"No, it's not." She frowns. "I don't know about their abilities I just know they're strong, and they're _terrifying."  
_  
"Well, any idea on the rest of them? Are they all...?"  
  
"I just know they're all older, stronger, more experienced. I've never seen them in action; they take care to not actually make their powers known."  
  
That's probably wise. That one magi that got away probably left with some knowledge about your own powers. Namely, your ability to make _fucking fullplate armor,_ your shields, your versatile weaponry and your healing abilities.  
  
Thankfully, you didn't show off your _entire_ kit; they don't know that your swords have deceptive range, and they don't know about your beam slash. That's important; you can use that to surprise them later.  
  
"What about rumors? Stuff like that?"  
  
"I heard...I mean I heard something about timelines?" She scratches her chin. "It sounded like gobbledygook."  
  
You snicker.  
  
"What?"  
  
"That's a fun word." You sigh. "Okay so timelines? I hope you don't mean time trav-"  
  
"Oh, no! No, nothing like that." She scratches her head. "Just...timelines? Interacting with other ones? Seeing them? Something like that. I'm really not sure."  
  
That's an incredibly worrying power. Messing with other timelines would honestly probably be a bigger deal than just _seeing_ different possibilities. But that's such a potent ability that it would require someone with an insane amount of potential. Like, 'future politician' potential. You're probably going to have to look into some important folks in Kasamino. "Anyone else?"  
  
"No." She shakes her head. "There are thirty magical girls in Kasamino right now, though. It's close to bursting point but...it's stable? We've had a few witch bursts but other than that..." She pauses. "I don't know."  
  
"Okay." You look back towards the road and send a message to Sukuyo. _'Did you find the magi?'  
  
'They're gone. Couldn't find shit. I think they ran back to Kasamino after they realized more of us were around.'  
  
'Keep on the lookout. They can disappear at night; their abilities are smoke-based so don't breathe when they're around.'  
  
'Noted.'_  
  
You turn back to Henrietta. "Think there's anything else we should know?"  
  
"Just...don't go to Kasamino." She says. "Don't fight them, don't try to reason with them. I mean I think..." She glances around. "Talking about the leader there is a crapshoot. You could get fucking shot for badmouthing her. I almost did; they blew a hole in my leg and told me that if I wanted to walk again I had to take it back. I don't know if _everyone's_ crazy, or just..."  
  
"It sounds like a cult."  
  
 _"Exactly!"_ She sputters. "They treat her like some kind of _god."_


	11. Date Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minako goes on a date, and Kyouko finds something concerning.

Your name is Minako. You're currently at home, getting dressed. You don't want to wear your _Peace Daisy_ shirt (well, you don't want to wear a t-shirt at all, but three middle fingers in a circle probably isn't the way to go), you don't want to wear a dress, but you do want to present _slightly_ femme.  
  
You don't really know why you're overthinking this; Takane probably doesn't care. She's probably just happy to date her partner. But you wanna look nice. You wanna be nice. You wanna be cute.  
  
She's cute. Cute goes with cute. It's a natural law.  
  
You mess your hair up just a _little_ bit. Just enough to make a statement, not enough to look unkempt. You whip that tuft of hair around, before you throw a scarf around your neck.  
  
Amazing. You look like a hipster. You hope she likes hipsters.  
  
You slip out of the apartment, lock the door and walk down the steps. You check your phone for messages.

> takakokoro said:
> 
> takane: I'm a few minutes out!

You reach the bottom steps. Your own parents are on a date (you don't know if they're doing magi things, and you're not certain they'd even tell you) and you round the corner and promptly bump into a girl that's taller than you.  
  
Taller, with green hair and a pair of glasses that just fell off her face and shattered against the ground.  
  
Taller, and with a look of surprise and in a suit and tie.  
  
Taller, because you just bumped into your girlfriend and ruined her glasses.  
  
"O-Oh _fuck!"_ You bend over to grab her glasses. "Oh holy fuck I'm so sorry oh nono-"  
  
"It's okay!" She's faster, and she grabs her glasses before you have a chance to panic a little more. She presses her hands against one of the broken lenses, and runs them sideways. With a little green glow, they're back, good as new.  
  
She slips them back onto her face, and gives you a broad grin. "So we were going to see a movie, right?"  
  
"Y-yes." You swallow. "We're gonna have movie and a dinner. See dinner and a movie. Moviedinner."  
  
She laughs. "That's right! We decided on uh...we were going to see ' _You Are...Am I?'_ , the new Neil Breen film."  
  
Takane nods. "Oh, I've never seen his work. Is he like an auteur?"  
  
"Uh, of a sort." You shrug. "And after that we're getting dinner. There's a good ramen place on the way back towards my moms' apartment..."  
  
"Oh! I actually haven't had any for a little while." Your girlfriend giggles a little bit. "I think that would be great, actually."  
  
You and Takane leave the apartment, walking down the sidewalk. The buildings overhead tower, your own apartment complex probably one of the shorter ones in this part of town. To the east is the Mall of Mitakihara, the third floor of which houses the movie theater. You personally don't really like being in something as bougie as the Mall, but you're dressed nice, and so is Takane. You probably won't look too outta place.

  


Then again that doesn't really matter right now to you. You and Takane take an escalator up towards the theater. It doesn't take very long for the woman at the box office to realize that you're both minors, though, and this new, awful Breen movie is a hard R for language, violence, sexual themes, nudity, and just overall being terrible. Takane sighs as she relents and just buys two tickets to _Iron Heart 2._  
  
"I really wanted to see what Breen's work was like," she says. "I bet his filmmaking style is _fascinating."_  
  
"Oh, that's for damn sure." You latch onto her arm. "But I think we can see a superhero movie, though."  
  


[=]  


The movie's fine. You think. You kind of want to say it's not as good as the first, but you weren't really thinking about Quvenzhané's performance or the special effects or an action sequence. Honestly, you were mostly just latched onto Takane's arm, leaning on her shoulder eating popcorn. Midway through the movie she just put her hand on your head and didn't remove it. You didn't want her to.  
  
You're now at the ramen booth with a steaming cup in front of you, and she has one too. Honestly, the movie was probably pretty okay; critics said it was good. But that doesn't matter right now.  
  
You kind of also thought about the elephant in the room. You don't really want to bring down the mood, though...so you guess that it's time for smalltalk. "So that was some movie, huh."  
  
"Yeah. It was." She traces her chopsticks around the bowl. "I really liked the action setpiece where they..." She pauses.  
  
Good to know you weren't the only one distracted. "You checked out."  
  
"Yes, I was busy paying attention to the enby leaning on me." She gives you a half-lidded gaze and a sly smile.  
  
God she's smooth when she wants to be. "Ooooookay uh, yeah." You turn bright red, scratch your head, and dig into the ramen. It's surprisingly good today, even better than normal. The noodles are thicker, the pork is delectable, the broth is rich, and the egg is cooked perfectly; not too hard, not too soft. It's even just as spicy as you like, and they've _never_ gotten that quite right before.  
  
Takane is eating her own bowl, and she's halfway through as you finish up your first. You put the first one in a pile as the chef slides you a new one. You kind of want to ask her about being a magical girl. But you don't want to ruin the mood.  
  
But you want to _know._  
  
"It's tricky, yes."  
  
You blink. "Uh...?"  
  
"I know you're thinking about my being a magi." She rubs her thumb against the bowl. "I mean, your moms are both magi too. And I've actually done some training with them." She turns to you. "Hey, do you...actually, I think I know something we could do."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Why don't you come watch me train with your moms? See how they interact-"  
  
"I...hm... _hm..."_ Come to think of it, you only know your parents are magi through hearsay. Well that and seeing your mom descend from a building in fullplate armor, but besides that. "Well, I dunno. Maybe? What're their powers?"  
  
"Okay so," Takane presses her fingers together, "wait, do you want the short answer or the long-"  
  
"Short."  
  
"Your mom, Sayaka, can heal and she's themed around water and music. I'm going to guess that she made a wish to heal a musician. Kyouko wished for an illusion of some kind, given her powerset, and her theming is based around flames. Specifically purifying flames. Don't quite know why that is..."  
  
"Mama was raised catholic." You have seen her praying every so often, and she does seem to believe in God. That said, mama's faith seems to fluctuate, maybe? It's hard to tell. But it's pretty conspicuous that the only grandparent you have is Miho.  
  
"Okay, then, that makes sense. The fires of Hell. She must have believed she committed a great sin."  
  
You wince. "Well, any others? I mean, it's been a while since I saw Akane..."  
  
"Oh, you know Akane, too?"  
  
"Yeah." You turn. "I'm guessing she's also a magical girl?"  
  
"Her flame theming is less symbolic than Kyouko's. It's literally just orange, bright, _raging_ flames. She wished to be the strongest. And given her single-minded goal, her flames are just that. Extremely bright, wildly hot. She also has a lot of Chinese and Buddhist iconography."  
  
"She is Buddhist, yeah." You don't know what _kind,_ but you do know that she does follow the teachings.  
  
"That's a little bit strange, considering her anger." She pauses. "Truthfully, I don't know _that much_ about Buddhism."  
  
"And what about you?" you ask. "What theming do you follow?"  
  
"A soldier's," she says. "I have some modern materials on my outfit, but it tends to follow a three-pedaled look. It's about as green as my hair, with an orchid pattern for my soul gem and my skirt," she pauses, "and two shotgun fists."  
  
"And your power is analysis?"  
  
"Yep!" She smiles. "How'd you guess?"  
  
"I got lucky. But what about the shotgun fists?"  
  
"They're simply two massive, reloading gauntlets. They have about sixteen shots per arm, and I reload by slapping two ammo packs on my waist. I can't quite change the size or shape of my gauntlets, but what I _can_ change is my ammo. I can make it incendiary, I can make it ice, I can make it explosive or even a laser. I still have yet to find out everything I can do with them."  
  
You nod. Honestly it's kind of interesting to learn. "So it's battlefield control? Like I'unno, it's gonna synergy-ize with your analysis?"  
  
"But I have to plan it out beforehand. And I'm not quite the best at that yet." She sticks her tongue out. "It is a bit fun to figure it all out."  
  
You look upwards. The sky's turning black. You're honestly not entirely sure you want to go home...actually...you could probably text your parents.

You devour the rest of the bowl of noodles now that you've actually had a non-terrifying discussion about magi. You slurp up the broth before putting your second bowl to the side."So, when do you think that should be?"  
  
"What thing, practice?" She quirks her head to the side mid-slurp. "Oh! Uh, perhaps tomorrow? Just let your moms know-"  
  
"I don't know, should I? And..." You pause. "It's been a little while since I just hung out with Reika. I think I should do that."  
  
"What about Sunday?" Takane asks. "Sunday's open, and your moms can have a little more warning."  
  
"Yeah, sure." You move to pay, but Takane already has a card out. She clicks a button next to your bowl and pushes her card into the reader. A beep later, and you're both paid for. "Oh, uh, thanks."  
  
"It's a date, Mina." Takane gives you a smile. "I'm more than willing to pay for your dinner tonight."  
  
You both leave the booth and head into the night. It's completely dead right now, nothing but the cool autumn breeze and the occasional car rolling by. You actually feel a little bit chilly right now, so it's a good thing you have a warm, suited body to snuggle up to as you both walk towards your apartment complex.  
  
Concrete turns to brick just a block away from home. You keep a vice-like grip on her arm as she gives you a gentle rub of her cheek on the top of your head. You squeal a little.  
  
Finally you reach the steps to your apartment. She runs a hand over the shaved part of your head and rubs her hand against your cheek. "I had a great time, Mina."  
  
"S-same to you." You give her a grin. "You're uh...pretty cool. And pretty." You look over her suit. "And handsome, if we're being honest."  
  
She giggles. "Thanks. I did put my all into it. I wondered if it was too much-"  
  
"Oh, no nono it was great! You look great." You eye her up and down and _holy fuck you are gay._ "But next time, maybe we can do something fancier? Uh, after I watch you spar. N' stuff."  
  
"I think that would be great, Mina." She leans in to kiss your forehead. Unfortunately, it's at about the same time that you move your head up to kiss her cheek.  
  
Your lips smack into each other at the most awkward angle possible, and you wince at the contact. Takane is mostly surprised, but that actually _stung_ for you. She blinks twice. "O-oh no, Mina?"  
  
"It's okay! _It's alright!_ I just uh, haha, I uh...Iiiiiiiiiiiiii fucked up my first kiss that's great." You cover your mouth. _"Shit."_  
  
"Well, there's no such thing as a perfect first kiss." Takane scratches her cheek. "Do you...do you wanna try again?"  
  
You nod.  
  
And this time she gently pulls your chin up and pecks you on the lips. It's not a huge thing, not some beautiful movie kiss; you're not stupid enough to think real life works like that. But it sure as hell feels like a movie. It feels like the world's in slow motion, like your heart's about to burst out of your chest, like lightning through your body.  
  
And then a split second later, she pulls back, a broad smile on her face. "There! Better." She takes a few steps back as you just stare after her, flabbergasted. "I'll see you later, Mina." She gives you a wave as she turns around on her black glossy oxfords and walks off.  
  
"Y-you too. Takane."  
  
You're _so gay._ You are a nonbinary gay disaster. You're so gay and you really, really, _really_ like your girlfriend. You turn on your heel and walk up several flights of stairs to your apartment with a spring in your step. You swear that you can fly. That if you just let your feelings float you up the stairs, you would reach the top in no time.  
  
Then, finally, you reach the room. You open the door to see your moms both sitting next to each other. Your mom's blue hair is resting on your mama's bare shoulder, and they're still talking. You walk in to see if it's about magi stuff...  
  
"But what if he never made up with his boyfriend? Do you think he'd power the mech up then?"  
  
You sigh in relief. _Oh thank god they're talking about anime bullshit._  
  
"No no no, I don't think so. That's not how the writer does that. That'd be so contrived."  
  
"But the whole story's _full of those!_ There's nothing wrong with making shit up every-" Your mama hears the door shut behind you. She perks up, red hair covering her face as she does so. "Hey, Mina!"  
  
Your mom waves to you.  
  
You awkwardly wave back. "Hey." You rub your hand across your head.  
  
"How'd the date go," your mom asks.  
  
"Well...we wanted to see Neil Breen but that didn't work out so we saw Iron Heart and then we had ramen and thenshekissedmeonthelips."  
  
Your moms stare at each other. And then they burst out laughing.  
  
"What, was it something I said did I do something wrong?!"  
  
"No, no! Just uh, remembering something." Your mom waves her hand. "I still feel that hit."  
  
"What hi-oh, _oh!"_ Your mama cackles. "Oh my god that hit _hurt._ But that was a fun spar, though."  
  
"What hit?" You look between them. "What are you talking-"  
  
"Oh, one of our first kisses was when we were sparring as..." Your mom pauses, before she realizes that she doesn't have to lie about being a magi anymore. She breathes in through her nose. "...as magi."  
  
"Yeah, I tried distracting her but we wound up just smacking our mouths together at forty miles per hour." Your mama scratches her cheek. "It hurt like hell but we had a real kiss right after."  
  
"Yeaaahahahaha." Your mom leans on her wife's shoulder. "But we've done a lotta kisses since theeeeeen~"  
  
You roll your eyes in an intentionally exaggerated manner and turn around. "Well I'mma sleep now, moms. Night!"  
  
"Night, Mina," they both say as you slowly walk back to your room. Yeah, the whole magical thing is still a lot to process and you're really not quite ready for that whole thing yet. You're not sure if you'll ever be.  
  
But you'd still rather leave on a high note.  
  


[=]  


Your name is Kyouko, and currently, you're out with Sayaka. It's an off day for the both of you, and given the chaos of the past few days, you decided that you both needed some R&R. Sayaka protested, as she does, saying that Minako really needed her to be around.  
  
You said otherwise, because honestly, you know them better. You're pretty sure your kid would like to process some things alone, maybe with Reika. Get _some_ normalcy back.  
  
You probably could have taken the train towards the Kasamino bridge, but neither you nor Sayaka have actually done that for the past, uh...fourteen years?  
  
It took _years_ for that fucking meme to die down. You're _dreading_ the return of "bus girl". There's gonna be a fuckin' "WhERe ArE ThEy nOW" thing you just _know it._ You're gonna be all over the news.  
  
You roll your shoulders in your big IDLES bomber jacket and pull your _Against Me!_ shirt before Sayaka pulls up next to you in a wool shirt and a pair of leggings. You're both standing atop one of the larger water towers overlooking the bay between here and Kasamino. This particular one is an artifact, a remnant of older attempts to convert Japanese folks to Catholicism; it's a towering, gothic cathedral, but one with a strangely fat head. Whatever symbolism it once held has long since gone in favor of extravagant utility.  
  
The bridge before you is no less impressive. It's a feat of modern architecture, a suspension bridge even longer than the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge. If you were to brag, you're pretty sure it's prettier, too. It easily spans the four-kilometer gap between Kasamino and Mitakihara, with six lanes and four railways underneath.  
  
Below you, a few joggers run out in the morning sun, and you can faintly smell smoke and seawater from the nearby refineries and the bay.  
  
It's pretty strong here, but honestly, for as bad as Mitakihara's stench can get, it's nowhere near what you remember of Kasamino's.  
  
Now, there's a reason you chose this spot. And part of it is the fact that the Mitakihara boardwalk is just nearby; a little bit south of the refineries, to the left of the Kasamino bridge will lead you to the tourist district of Mitakihara. Probably not the best place for you and Sayaka to go; you've definitely tread that ground before, but it's been years since you've been there last and honestly you don't really get to go that often.  
  
The other reason is just in case someone else gets the bright idea to try crossing the bridge. It's literally a two-minute jump here. You turn to Sayaka, careful to keep your feet on top of the marble-white water tower. "Do you have the brochure?"  
  
"Yeah." Sayaka whips out the three-page brochure of the boardwalk, hands gripped tight at the edges to try and keep it from blowing away in the sea breeze. "I feel like a damn tourist."  
  
"We _are_ tourists. As much as we can be while living in the same city 'nyway."  
  
"That's about as lame as tourism can get, Koko."  
  
"It won't be lame when we find ourselves a paddle boat, drift out into the bay, and just sit there..." You lean in. "Maybe find something secluded and just fuck right on that bo-"  
  
"O- _kay,_ maybe not!" Sayaka glares at you. "Last time we did that, I didn't hear the end of it from my coworkers."  
  
You cackle. "You were the one that suggested it before."  
  
"Yes and it was a bad idea." She sighs.  
  
Of course, it's halfway off the tower that you sense something. It's a tugging at the back of your mind, a sense of grief welling inside your throat, of something aching to break free. You lock up a little bit. "Hey uh...do you feel that?"  
  
"Yeah. Yeah I feel that." She glances to you. "Witch."  
  
"One of our own?" You should feel worse about asking it so casually.  
  
"I had a sitrep last night, but that doesn't preclude a spiral or an anxiety attack." She takes a step forward. "Where's it coming from?"  
  
You stare ahead and quickly send out a pulse. _'Hey, who's closest to-'  
  
'I am. I can take care of it.' _That's Takane. You hear her voice on the other end as she walks through the streets. _'It feels like it's about to hatch; coming right from under the boardwalks.'_  
  
Wait...right from...you freeze. Didn't Sayaka take care of a magi a couple of days ago, just a kilometer out from the boardwalks? In your darker days you deliberately took familiars and planted them near places like the boardwalk.  
  
Sayaka stares at you. You're both coming to the same conclusion.

"I'm going with Takane," you say.  
  
"Hey, _no._ I'm not letting you go in alone."  
  
"Think about it, Sayaka. If this is a _plant,_ then that means there's probably an ambush." You look around. "Akane's on the other side of town, Sukuyo has a deadline, Tomo has her own side of town to take care of, and the other magi are busy with their own territories. And we _both_ know that you're better against an assault than I am."  
  
She tenses up under your grip. You give her a reassuring kiss on the cheek. "Look at this way: we clear this up, you repel any stupid fucker who tries crossing that bridge, and then we go on the date. Maybe have that boat sex."  
  
She tenses up again before relaxing under your grip. "I...okay. Right. Alright. Sure." She looks back up at you. "But that's a no on the boat sex."  
  
"Oh, _come on,_ it'd be hot!"  
  
She just rolls her eyes and falls off the edge of the water tower. You, meanwhile, take a few steps back, stretch your legs, then take a _soaring_ leap off the tower. You fly over several blocks in a single bound, momentum carrying you onto the boardwalk. Wood bends under your weight and force, but you bend your legs just enough to prevent the reinforced surface from just breaking entirely.  
  
Civilians all around you stare in shock as you stand up to your full height, a number of them holding ice cream cones and American-style funnel cake. One poor child almost drops her ice cream cone, but you manage to catch it before it falls onto the ground.  
  
"Nothin' to see here, folks!" You point to everyone. "Love you Mitakihara! Good fuckin' _night!"_ You hit the railing and, without skipping a beat, you roll over the edge. Your feet hit a beach that's laden with trash and plastic wrappers; not large enough to actually have a fun surf on, but there's enough for the boardwalk to sit comfortably on a solid foundation.  
  
And right there, in the center of a flickering circle, hanging with its bottom "root" about three inches into a wooden pillar, is the grief seed. Takane's sitting right next to it, hunched over with her gauntlets unloaded and her hand on her chin. She grimaces. "It's been here for a while. Probably just sat here for a couple of days." She runs her hand across the edge of the circle. "It was slammed into this support pillar."  
  
"Couple of days here. Incubators should have picked it up. Grief seeds aren't supposed to be undetected." You take a look at it. Sure enough, there are three cores to this grief seed; one misshapen, the other two standing right alongside it. It seems that one of the witches was forcibly absorbed by the other two.  
  
The grief seed gleams. "Do you think this is going to be a hazard to the boardwalk?"  
  
You nod. "Yeah, probably. There should be a..." You poke your head out from under the boardwalk. "...should be a fucking boat or-"  
  
"There!" Takane points to a paddleboat just drifting alone. The people riding it have abandoned it wholesale to swim in the bay, and are in the process of being picked up by a deeply-annoyed lifeguard.  
  
"Perfect." You grab the grief seed. You're careful to _sloooowly_ pull it out of the boardwalk, and the thing flickers and blinks in your hand, as though the Walpurgis itself is annoyed at you.  
  
"Yeah, yeah." You whip your spear across the water, right into the head of the dopey-looking dragon paddleboat. You motion for Takane to jump on your back.  
  
She shakes her head and pulls out a pair of orange cartridges.  
  
"Suit yourself." You _pull,_ and the momentum carries you across the water. Your boots skate along the top, and midway through pulling yourself across, you transform. Your armor _shimmers_ into existence in a spray of seawater and a burst of flame before you _slam-dunk_ the grief seed into the boat.  
  
This destroys the paddle crank; this boat will never ever paddle again.  
  
It can still float, though. You slide through the water at high speed, the momentum from your landing splitting the water and causing the boat to skip across as you keep yourself balanced against its neck. Meanwhile, behind you, you hear Takane arrive with two thunderous gunshots; one keeps her just above the waves, the second sends her higher, at just the right angle to collide with the boat.  
  
And just before she lands, the grief seed quivers, shakes...and _cracks._  
  
The labyrinth _[explodes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9HvB8DAyZI)_ in the middle of the water, and bright blue skies give way to a dark red Hellscape. The Mitakihara bridge vanishes from view, the cityscape behind it turning flat and distorted. The paddleboat slides across a new brick ground before a tower _bursts_ from the earth stretching high into the sky before spiraling into the darkness over your head.  
  
The tower itself is lined with holes, each stretching a seemingly infinite amount into the wall; way, way too deep for how shallow this tower seems to be.  
  
From each hole comes a familiar, a flickering white _ghost_ of a person. The ghost stands in front of you, staring gormlessly into space as hundreds and hundreds and _thousands_ of these things just emerge from the holes in the wall. They stare into space, some of them at you, some of them towards the bridge, some of them into _nowhere_ as they quiver and shake in the light breeze.  
  


  
You walk up to one of the "people," close enough to their face to feel their breath...well, you would, if they had any. They don't seem to notice you even as you get close enough to touch them. Behind you, you hear Takane land in the labyrinth with a _thud._ She hits with enough force to shatter the brick under your feet as little sketchlines scatter into the air and dissolve into brick.  
  
"This is a bizarre one," you mutter. "The familiars aren't attacking."  
  
"They're, wait, they're what now?" Takane steps towards you.  
  
"Witches aren't mindless or dumb. They're just weird. They have their own quirks n' shit. These familiars aren't just gunning for us." You keep an eye on the one closest to you. This one can't say the same, given that it's lacking eyes.  
  
"Do you...do you think it's waiting for something? Like a signal?"  
  
"Or the answer's in the hole behind it." You mutter.

You push past the familiar, grabbing its face and walking right into one of the tunnels.  
  
"What do you want to accomplish by diving into an unknown hole in the wall?" Takane looks over all the walls. "This doesn't seem like that great a plan."  
  
"It's probably not buuuuuuuuut if there's something dangerous on the other end..." You tap your chest. Your soul gem _shimmers_ with a bright red light, one that echoes down the tunnel and to an infinite blackness on the other end. It's far enough so that you can react to whatever could come towards you, but in a tunnel, there are very few places for you to go.  
  
"Witches with tunnels like these act in weird ways. Namely, this one seems to go on forever. Probably reemerges way far up...?" You pull a brick out of the road, break off a tiny chunk of it, and _throw._  
  
The pebble flies through the air, bouncing across the roof of the tunnel and across the floor. The bumps keep echoing as it flies through before finally just stopping. "Huh. There's no echo."  
  
As you say that, Takane looks up, and you hear a soft _pat_ as she catches the pebble that you just threw. She looks towards you. "They emerge at random points further up the tower."  
  
"Yeah, that's what I figured. The witch is probably close to the top." You start to enter the tunnel. "Wanna come with?"  
  
"I can lead," she says. "I have more tactical options." She quickly reloads her gauntlets. "Incendiary."  
  
"Nice." You motion for her to lead, and you both start to walk deeper into the labyrinth...


	12. Seraphim

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rin arrives.

Your name is Miki Sayaka, and you have currently left your wife to sit on the bridge overlooking Kasamino Bay. You're sitting on a beam, high above the cars and trains below as you wait for an inevitable meeting. For some sign of a magi.  
  
Either they're going to take a train (in an attempt to evade you), take a car (in an attempt to meet up while looking fancy), or approach by foot (if they want to immediately get into combat).  
  
You, thankfully, have plans for all three. And as usual, you're going to try going for an actual meeting rather than anything immediately hostile, as much damage as this _Glow_ or whatever has caused. You wait at the top of the girder, before finally, you see a single magi.  
  
She's dressed in a jean jacket, a pair of slacks, and a generic, cutesy-looking t-shirt. Her hair is neon purple, and you can tell from the gleam on her finger that she's one of you. She waves at you, clearly cheerful, a broad smile on her face.  
  
Her expression falls when she notices that you're not waving back. She quickly brings her smile back up. "Ah! Not the friendly type?"  
  
"You've kind of exhausted our goodwill," you shout back. "I can tell you, trying to kill my wife, attempting to kill another one of our magi, and sending a hitperson after one of your own isn't exactly going to get you on our good side." You cross your arms. "So! Are you here to try tying up loose ends? Try to strike a deal?"  
  
You take a step off the girder as she gets closer. Your legs bend as you hit the concrete with a _thud,_ and a cloud of dust is thrown into the air. A car passes by, sending your hair into a tizzy as you look this magi dead in the eye.  
  
"Or are you going to explain why the hell we found a walpurgis grief seed on the boardwalk today?"  
  
Her expression freezes as she sees you standing before she grimaces hard. "Oh."  
  
"Oh, did you think we weren't going to find that? That thing was embedded into the boardwalk, with its base about an inch into the support pillar." You walk towards her and, well, you're a grown woman. She is a teenager. She takes a step backwards. "What did you think was going to _happen?_ That I was going to let you walk _away?_ That I was going to let you walk all over us?"  
  
"I thought we moved-"  
  
"This was _after_ I caught the two magi before you, _three_ including your enforcer. I don't _give a fuck_ what your justification is."  
  
"I-I-"  
  
"If I catch you, _any_ of you, in our territory again, I will personally walk up to this 'Lady Rin' of yours, crack her soul gem in _half,_ and shove it down her _throat."_ You take a step forwards, careful to keep your balance as you _loom_ over her. "Do you understand?"  
  
"We-" She stares at you in mild terror, before she quickly glances back behind her. She motions for someone else to walk up.  
  
And immediately, someone else does. It's another person, this one far, far taller and far, far more regal. Alongside the bag on her waist, she's wearing a black dress that's perhaps a bit much for the middle of an autumn day, with a purse and a black beret.  
  
Her hair is brilliant silver with a single streak of perfect pitch black, and she doesn't so much walk as glide. Finally, she reaches behind the girl and motions for her to move out of the way.  
  


"Hello, Ms. Miki-Sakura." She bows. "My name is Rin."  
  
You cross your arms. She's taller than you are, and you're not sure if she's even standing on her actual feet; this woman is easily over six feet. "Bold of you to arrive yourself, considering what I just said. And I'm running low on patience," you narrow your eyes, "Lady Rin."  
  
"Apologies. The grief seed was an...unintentional side-effect. Yes, there was some miscommunication among the lower rungs of my organization, but I assure you that the attempt on your wife's life was unintentional. We simply told Uriko to find an adult Magical Girl. And perhaps fight her, to get an idea of how powerful you were."  
  
"Well, you found some." You raise your arms wide. "Congrats. I hope the information was worth potentially pissing off everyone in my town, Rin." You narrow your eyes.  
  
_"Lady_ Rin." The younger girl hisses, before Rin just raises a finger. The girl flinches, then takes a step backwards.  
  
"It was. I've learned a great deal. Namely how great of a threat you are." She looks you up and down. "I've never seen one of us grow to your age. I did not even think it possible for us to reach past twenty-five, so I just felt it was pertinent to investigate." She sighs. "I will be punishing the enforcer who planted the seed dearly. She disobeyed our orders, and that demands retribution."

[=]

You are Kyouko, and you've finally reached the other side of the tunnel after what felt like an eternity. Your soul gem's beam cuts through the darkness and out the other side before you feel gravity shift. At the end of the tunnel, you realize that it's pretty hard to keep yourself from slipping downwards.  
  
The tunnel has turned upwards without you noticing. Takane _punches_ a hole in the brick, while you take your spear, jam it into the wall, and use it keep yourself upright. "Okay, can you get up without burning my face off with a rocket?"  
  
"Yeah." She looks down on you. "Help me up?"  
  
"Sure, kid." You raise your left hand. She puts her foot on top of yours, bends her knee, and _jumps._ She rockets upwards before kicking off the wall and jumping right out the hole. You press your own foot against the wall and _leap,_ first with a twirl, then with a twist. You snap your fingers and your spear splits into segments before flying right back into your hand.  
  
The momentum of your leap and the spear in your hand pulls you out of the hole and onto a brick surface, where you see a monstrosity roaming the brick road.  
  
It's twitchy, misshapen and malformed. The legs slip and slide across the ground, unable to hold a grip against the brick road. Every so often, a leg just falls into one of the holes and the entire creature _tumbles_ before more legs burst from its torso and pull it upwards in a shower of metal.  
  
You walk behind it, with Takane just staring in quiet horror. "Is...that's...that doesn't look normal."  
  
"This walpurgis didn't integrate well." You take a step in front of her. "It's going to be volatile." Next to you, one of the familiars drifts towards the witch, as though it wants to ride its back. So you decide to grant its wish.  
  
You grip your hand around its head and _pull_ it off the body. The entire thing turns corporeal, revealing metal skeleton of red rubber and leaking oil as it lets out an unholy _screech._ The head in your hand gasps for a breath that will never come before you _throw_ it right towards the monster.  
  
It makes a _dink_ as it bounces against the back of the witch's head, and it stops in its tracks.  
  
It slooooowly turns. A human-like mouth with human-like teeth opens wide as drool drips from its jaw. The tongue in its mouth lolls over as its spine of mouths masticates and squeals. The metal cage on its face digs into the flesh, the glass impales the eyes, and a pair of ruined, human-like ears hang out of the sides.  
  
It looks like a horse head that was crammed into a bus, with its legs removed and replaced with those of a spider. And every step it takes looks as though it's roiling in agony. That is, before it notices you. And before it notices the very, very dead familiar on the ground.  
  
The mouth opens wide, jaw twitching with shock. It takes a step back, its abdomen of wires dragging across the ground. Then it _howls._  
  


You're Sayaka once again. And frankly, you're done playing games. "Well, it's a good thing you're done with your _investigation."_ You stress the last syllable. You're pretty sure she recognizes the fact that you think she's spouting bullshit, but you also know she has very little ground to stand on.

"I'd have been happy to share it with you; I'm pretty personable. I can talk, I can entertain; hell, I would have gladly taken a number of you to dinner. But that ship's sailed. You burned that bridge. And I'm going to ask you to leave. _Permanently._ You and your little gang are banned from Mitakihara.

"So far, I've been nice. I have been going out of my way to disable, talk down, or remove magi from the grounds. You've not _seen_ me when I get angry. If I catch any of you in my city without a damn good excuse, I'm going to stop holding back."

She looks you over, eyes glancing up and down your body for any sign of weakness, any sign that you're uneasy with injuring younger magi. She blinks when she realizes that _she can't find any._

"Have you killed before, Miki?"

"Yes," you say without a break. You swallow back the lump in your throat and take a step forward. You hide your discomfort as well as you can. "And if it means keeping the magi under my care safe, then I will do so again.

"Similarly, the one that planted the seed? Whoever they are encroached on my territory. They put my people and my territory at risk. I'll handle the punishment."

"Oh, but this was my agent. She was under my-"

"Your command, yes. Your command, which was sloppy enough to put innocent lives at risk and throw danger our way in an attempt to 'investigate'."

She blinks, then sighs. "I acquiesce to your demands."

"And was this magi the same one who attempted to kill Henrietta?"

She looks puzzled, before she remembers exactly who you're talking about. "Ah, yes. The pink young girl with the gonne. I almost forgot her." She sighs. "That would be the same magical girl who planted the seed, yes. And yes, she will be given to your custody. Do with her as you will."

You narrow your eyes. "Them."

"There is a reason they are called 'magical girls'. At least that's what I personally believe-"

"Don't give me that pretentious trash," you interrupt. "Just give me the magi and I will be on my way. And remember-"

Oh, believe me, you will not be seeing me again." She waves her hand as she turns around, walking away as the underling (that honestly, you had almost forgotten about) follows after her. "I will arrange my girls to offer you the enforcer known as Yuuko. Thank you for your business, Ms. Miki-Sakura."

You grimace as she walks off. You didn't believe her for a _second_ when she said that you wouldn't be seeing her again. Frankly, you think she's going to be a huge thorn in your side, and what's more obnoxious is that you didn't see her coming. How the hell did she amass this much influence without anyone noticing?

Something doesn't add up.

[=]

[You are Kyouko](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yk9STTSrkOQ), and the witch you're fighting tumbles and trips over its legs, teeth gnashing against each other as the eyes in its skull-cage roll and twitch and focus themselves upon you. It screeches like a banshee, each of the bladed legs turning into a maelstrom of rusted metal and debris. You don't even blink as you bring your winged spear to your side and _thrust._

You hit one of the teeth hard enough to _shatter_ it, and as the witch tries to wrest control back, you wrench it sideways. Momentum carries the witch sideways, each of the legs gripping an open tunnel as the wires bounce across the side and dangle over the edge.

It takes the top half of its mouth and _bites_ into the brick, teeth dragging across the tower before the legs claw their way back onto the path. You take the opportunity to _slap_ the beast with the broad side of your spear. A tooth flies from its mouth and, as it screeches, you hear Takane right behind you.

 _"EXPLOSIVE!"_ She pulls a new pair of brilliant, gleaming brass cartridges out from nowhere and slaps them onto her shotgun gauntlets. She fires a _barrage,_ each shot slamming into the mouth of the monster. Upon closer inspection, you notice that they're not exactly buckshot. They're all tiny little slugs, each sporting little fins and little designs all over them.

And then Takane snaps her fingers.

The explosion _rips_ into the witch, tearing the top half of the mouth from the bottom. What looks like blood spills into the sky before it skids across the skybridge and away from you.

"Ey, _nice going!" y_ ou shout. "Do you have anything defensive in that kit?!"

"I have blue rounds! They make defensive nets!"

"Then fuckin' use them! I got an idea!" You run by Takane as the witch rears its ugly face towards you, teeth gnashing as it desperately claws at its face to keep itself together...or to pull itself apart.

You don't want to see what else this thing has in store. Mid-run, you clap your hands together. _"ROSSO FANTASMA!"_

  
Your myriad arms explode out from your back, each with their own individual spears. They all split apart, a whirling mass of chains and brass and red blade heads churning as you charge ahead. The witch tumbles towards you with an unsightly gait, each step pulling the halves of it further and further apart. The labyrinth itself seems to _flicker_ as the tower under your feet quakes and shivers.

Finally, you impale the witch with four of your spears, and the other six dig themselves into the brick. "Whatever you got, _do it now!"_

Takane dashes behind you and _fires._ Two massive blue nets explode out of her gauntlets, one wrapping around the top half of the witch and the other around the bottom. The force shears the witch even further, but the important part is that it begins to topple over the side. The top half _lulls over_ before it finally ripping the entire witch wholly in two.

But this isn't the solution you were looking for.

The witch howls as it's torn apart, unstable halves ripping in twain as the tower below your feet crumbles. The ground below, where there was once brick, now _splits,_ and gravity pulls in two opposite directions. Two labyrinths emerge, one forming the sky to your left, the other the ground to your right, and you and Takane stand upon a shattered, rapidly-collapsing tower in the middle.

The halves of the witch, both coated in metal and meat, struggle against Takane's binds. The halves of the world flicker and break, runes flashing in and out of existence as sheer _grief_ covers the world.

Takane stumbles back, dazed, before the witch's halves, barely held together by a piece of wire, break out. The mouthed top half of the witch flips around, revealing teeth that look more like bus seats as the bottom half becomes a trolley cart with flexing mechanical gears and wires and machinery.

  
And right in the middle, floating in the technicolor chaos, is a central mass of meat and teeth, looking less like a witch and more like a teratoma. The mass screeches, body trying to connect the two other witches. Strands of flesh attach the three together, the two mechanical witches trying to rip themselves away from the central mass.

You're not letting this get back together. You soar through the air, rip your spear back, and _impale_ the central mass. The halves of the witch split in half in a shower of gore and teeth. The tendrils flex and twist and turn and flail before you throw more spears right through the center.

Six spears hit through the middle of the witch as the two halves are torn apart, and each new impalement splits the witch more and more and more before the two other witches peel away.

The two other witches roll backwards, each half falling back just far enough to make reunification impossible. The tendrils try to come back together before your spears segment into chains and _wrap_ themselves around the witch. Ten spears turn into ten chains, and ten chains weigh down the meat enough to send it _plummeting_ towards one of the grounds.

  
Takane bounds off, orange sparks propelling her to the trolley witch. "Incendiary!" She reloads and _punches_ the witch as hard as she can with a fist of flame and fury. The witch detonates in a spectacular fireball as you take on the bus.

The central meat mass seems to have taken its toll on the other two witches; the bus doesn't even do anything to fight back as you spear it through what looks like a misshapen engine block.

Your head pounds as the witch falls completely to pieces and Takane falls backwards in a shower of flaming metal and wood.

The labyrinth dissolves around you as the halves split apart to reveal the bright blue sky. You and Takane start falling back in a direction that actually looks like _down..._

And you both realize rapidly that the paddleboat is actually in the sky with you, and that you were floating just off of the Mitakihara Boardwalk.

You splash into the water _hard,_ armor protecting you from the worst of the surface impact. It still feels like you're getting fucking run over. "Ugh, _shit!"_ You plunge about a meter underwater before you quickly kick your feet down and swim right back up to the surface.

You're sopping wet, the water's ice-fucking-cold, and you're pretty thankful that you can just transform. Right beside you, Takane _plunges_ into the water, arms crossed over her chest, legs tight together. She _splashes_ into the bay, going far, far deeper than you did. You swear that she even touched the bottom of the bay with how deep she's gone.

She emerges right next to you, hair sopping wet, the braid on the back of her head utterly undone and her hat missing. "O- _kay!_ That went well!" She sighs.

Just overhead, you see the grief seed descend. You catch it before it hits the water and give it a closer look. It's still the same three cores, two of the grief seeds fused together with the third haphazardly shoved in and misshapen. You assume that would be the dominant, unwanted flesh part of the witch.

"Alright, let's get the fuck outta the water before we get arrested." You motion back towards the boardwalk.

"Right."

You both then swim back to shore, more specifically towards a boat dock with a concrete ramp. You think it's for some particularly rich asshole with a yacht, because you've never, _ever_ seen this used by anyone. Your feet finally touch ground, and as you wade your way back to land, you snap your fingers and detransform. Your civilian outfit is clean, thank fuck, and your hair is back to how it was before you plunged into the water like an idiot.

Takane watches before just doing the same right then and there. She shakes her head, puts her hair back into the braided bun on the back of her head, and readjusts her glasses. She glances towards you.

"So! That was your first Walpurgis! How'd it feel?"

"That was horrific." She shakes her head. "It...are all the witches in Mitakihara like that?"

"Nah, not all." You roll your shoulder. "But there are a few uh...really awful ones. Like that. Just be thankful I was around, alright?"

"Right," she murmurs. She looks a little bit distant, a little uneasy. She glances towards you. "So do you..." She stops herself before going on.

"Do I what?" you ask. "I had a crude joke there but I'm gonna keep a clamp on that because you don't look too hot."

"I'm sorry, right. Yes." She clears her throat. "It's nothing. I just thought about the witch's..."

"Yeah it was nasty."

"Not just that." She shakes her head. "Do you know if...can witches think?"

"Yeah," you say without skipping a beat. "But you don't gotta worry. They only think about hurting people." You glance back at her. "Trust me on this. Don't think about it too hard."

"I...hm." She bites her lip. "Do you...?"

You turn back perhaps a bit too fast. "Don't. Think. About it." It's probably not the best way you could be handling it. Your wife is a better person for this kind of delicate touch. But you also know that she really needed to be there for the fuckin' ambush team. If there was one.

You kind of have to make do with what you have.

"Right. Right, sorry." She brushes her hair aside. "I just had a feeling." She starts to walk off. She's keeping her face away from you so you can't read it. You can tell; it's way too obvious that she's kind of overthinking _it._

"Just enjoy yourself, okay?" You lean onto a lamppost. "Oh, and," you throw the grief seed her way, and she catches it without turning towards you, "Saya and I have a pretty huge stockpile. Don't worry about us."

She nods once, then she runs off.

You watch her as she leaves, and behind you, Sayaka's feet hit the pavement. You glance back. "Hey."

Sayaka runs towards you. "I told Lady Rin to leave and never come back, but I don't think she's _that great_ at following orders." She rubs the back of her head. "But honestly I have a really, really bad feeling about her. Just a tingle at the back of my spine and all..." She notices Takane running away, as well as your dead silence.

"She didn't find out, did she?"

"I think she has a feeling," you mutter. "She's tough. She'll get through it."

"What if she doesn't."

"She _will._ We did, she'll be fine."

Sayaka grimaces. "Kyouko..."

"Look, if she's in a bad headspace, we'll be there for her, but until then, I think she'll be fine."


	13. Sis Puella Magica

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takane trains with a surprise guest.

Your name is Minako, and currently you're with your friends. You and Reika and Hiro went out to get a snack, and you wound up sitting in a crowded ice cream parlor in the middle of town in the middle of the day. Reika is just leaning over; her ice cream's starting to melt and her eyes are laser-focused on you.  
  
Hiro is just awkwardly sipping on his milkshake midway through the conversation before he clears his throat. "So how was the date?"  
  
"It was good," you say as you stuff another scoop of ice cream in your mouth.  
  
Reika narrows her eyes. "Well? Is that it? That can't be it."  
  
"I mean, we saw a moooooovie...and we had raaaaaaaaaamen..." You tap your chin. "We talked about magical girl _anime."_ You open your hand. You try to play it cool. Then again what's there to lie about? You really did talk about magical girls.  
  
Less the anime part because holy shit it sounds like a fucking anime.  
  
"Didja kiss?!" Reika surges over the table in her pink blouse. "Well didja?"  
  
"Weeeeeee kiiiiiiiissed~" You giggle. "I tried doing it first, and then uh...we just bumped together and then she gave me a better kiss." You rub your hand against your cheek.  
  
"YES GOOD." Reika points her finger. "Good! You're doing good, my little _gayby._ You're doing so damn good now!" She pumps her fist. "I was worried you were gonna be, like, 'oh I can't kiss I'm saving kissing for marriage-'."  
  
"Nobody does that," you say.  
  
"They do in _America."_  
  
Hiro rolls his eyes. "Yeah, but nobody likes America."  
  
"That doesn't stop people from taking bad ideas from it!" She crosses her arms. "But it's just, y'know, I just wanted to know how you were doing with your girrrrrrrlfriend." She giggles. "Ah shit, sweet little Mina has a girlfriend! They're moving up in the world!" She claps her hands. "Oh, _oh!_ Are you gonna be mono or-"  
  
"Okaaaay! We've only been dating for, like, a fucking week now, Reika." You raise your hands. "Cool it!"  
  
"I'm _sorry,_ it's just exciting! I like seeing my friends happy! And I've already given up on Hiro-"  
  
Hiro tries to look offended, but he just manages to slump back in his chair. "Yeaaaaaaah, fair."  
  
"-so all I got left is you."  
  
You roll onto your hand and scoop another bit of apple ice cream and cinnamon into your mouth. You wonder if your moms are enjoying their date...they probably are. You don't really like going to the boardwalk; you go to the sea for solitude and a calming walk, not for bustling crowds. That's what the shopping district's for.  
  
"You really need to find some hobbies."  
  
"This _is_ my hobby." She crosses her arms. "Oh, so uh, what else is there with her?"

"I mean, she's pretty and smart and cool and stuff," you sigh. "Like, there's just something about her, you know?"  
  
"Uh, no. No, I don't." Reika leans over. "You gotta give us some more specifics than that."  
  
"I mean, she _is_ pretty! You saw her, right? Like she's, uh, fuckin' like _baaan_ and _whoaaa_ and _woosh_ and she's just smart because she's just, she gets to the heart real good." You shrug. "I dunno! I just like her a lot! She's cool and she's really insightful and observant and she just-" You make a choking noise. The spotlight's on you. This is your grand performance. And it's convenient that you sound like you're choking because _good lord you're choking._  
  
"There, there." Reika pats your shoulder. "I didn't know Mina could get this flustered."  
  
Hiro shrugs. "I Can't Believe My Little Mina Is This Cute?"  
  
Reika narrows her eyes. "No, _no._ Do not bring that _sin_ into our Sacred House of Gay."  
  
"Look, they rebooted that series _again._ Give me a break-"  
  
"We don't all watch bad anime." You roll your chin onto your fist. You're thankful that the subject's moved swiftly along to Hiro's bad taste.  
  
"This one was slightly less creepy than the last version, but it was definitely uh...bad." He leans back. "I mean, it's all bad?"  
  
Reika rolls her eyes. "But you kept watching it?"  
  
"I...okay, I kept watching it, yes." He leans back. "I'm sorry I just, I need to consume garbage." He stuffs ice cream into his mouth. "Like ice cream."  
  
"Ice cream is _holy,_ you watch your whore mouth." Reika points her spoon at him as threateningly as she can, before promptly putting it in her mouth.  
  
You roll over again. "But yeah, just been a time, you know." You rub your face against your hand. "Shit."  
  
"Well, I mean it's not just your girlfriend, yeah?" Reika tents her hands and puts her chin on top. "Like I mean, you looked kinda down a couple days ago."  
  
"Uh, did I?"  
  
Hiro glances at you. "You like walked ten meters away from us the entire way to school."  
  
"Oh." You look to the ceiling. "Right, sorry. I was just uh, tired."  
  
"That ain't tired." Reika keeps her eyes on you. "That's 'I was avoiding you, but I don't want to admit it because I still like you as a friend,' which is almost worse than 'I just don't like you anymore.' Because at least I could get mad about the latter. The former just makes me kinda concerned."  
  
You stare right back at her. "You need to stop being so goddamn accurate."  
  
"And you need to stop admitting it to my face."  
  
You blink and shake your head in confusion. You look at the table, then at the ice cream. Then your brain catches up. "Wait, you weren't sure?"  
  
"Not until you told me. Shot in the dark."  
  
You grab your face. "Mother _fucker!"_  
  
"Haha~! Reika strikes again! I am an _emotional sniper._ Nobody can stop me!" She claps her hands loud enough to catch the attention of _everyone_ in the shop, but then her hands slam against the table hard enough to shake all your bowls (but thankfully not enough to topple them).  
  
"Uh..." Hiro looks between the two of you. "...you're not gonna put them on the spot, are you?"  
  
"Oh, wait, what?" Reika glances around to see that _everyone_ is still staring. "Oh, shit. Sorry!"  
  
Everyone just grumbles to themselves and gets back to their own conversations. You let out that breath that you didn't know you were holding. "Yeah, it's actually kind of something. I just found out about stuff. Like about my moms."  
  
Reika and Hiro stare at you, _deeply_ concerned.  
  
"No! It's nothing illegal or evil or shit!"  
  
They both sigh in relief.  
  
"It's just something dangerous that they did. Like, uh, traumatic." You rub your cheek. "My mom actually broke down in front of me. I've never seen her like that. I mean she's cried, she's done that, she's had bad days but nothing as bad as that in public. She couldn't stop crying. It was just...I don't know. I don't know how to feel about it and it's just bad and oh fuck am I crying I'm crying aren't I." You bring your hand to your face. Your eyes are wet. And you're dribbling snot.  
  
"Fuck." You take a napkin to your eyes, but before you can say anything else, Reika's already wrapping her arms around your shoulders. "U-uh?"  
  
"I figured you were upset about something, but I didn't expect that." She keeps her arms around you. "Sorry for pulling that out of you."  
  
"U-uhnhugh." You nod awkwardly. And from the other end, Hiro crawls under the table. He pops up on the other side before he, too, wraps his arms around your shoulders.  
  
"You really didn't need to tell us if it was like that." He sighs. "You alright now?"  
  
"K-kinda?" You wipe your eyes against Reika's sleeve. "Ugh. God. I thought I was gonna be able to talk about this." You try to rub your temples, but your friends are currently pinning you down with two tight hugs. "Shit." You sniff. "I'm just a disaster and my moms are kinda trying to hide it a little. They're really bad at it, though."  
  
Then again, you didn't know they were magical girls until _now_ , and they'd been apparently doing this for _as long as you've been alive_ , maybe even longer.  
  
"Hey, hey. Shushush." Reika leans back. "Again, I'm sorry if that was like uncomfortable or anything. I kinda feel that too. It's weird when your mom is just having a real awful time, y'know?"  
  
"Yeah." Hiro scratches his head. "Though I uh...I mean I don't talk to my parents that much, but my dad doesn't let that show, either."  
  
"I just kinda felt...ugh, never mind." You shake your head. "I didn't really need to make that about me. I didn't wanna make that about me."  
  
"Hey, it ain't an obligation. We're doing this because we want to help our friend out." Reika pats your back. "You know that, right?"  
  
"I...yeah." You sniff again. "Ugh. I think I'm gonna need that fuckin' ice cream now."  
  


[=]  


Your name is Sayaka, and it's been a day. You are currently waiting for Takane to come over for training. Rin told you that she'd be delivering Yuuko to you by tonight. She said as much through a courier, a little origami bird that unfolded into a message after bumping right into your window.  
  
The message is still plastered on the bedroom balcony.

**[YUUKO WILL BE AT THE BOARDWALK AT 9PM JST]**

You mutter to yourself as Kyouko just stretches her core on top of a rusted car. She shadowboxes, stretches her arms and calves, before taking a solid concrete divider and lifting it over her head without much apparent effort.  
  
You hear a loud _thud_ behind you and you whip your head around. "Hey! We only have one of those!"  
  
"Relax." She waves her hand. "I didn't put it down that hard and it didn't crack _this_ time." She flexes her arms and wipes the sweat off her brow. "Didn't you work out yourself?"  
  
"Yeah,I did." You roll your neck. You and Kyouko are both dressed in workout tops and a pair of sweatpants, your own hoodies hanging off of a nearby abandoned jungle gym (that Kyouko serendipitously found and then stole from a decaying amusement park just twenty miles out of town).  
  
"I jogged around the city, did some lifts with the cars, and worked my calves. It was a good time." You roll your neck again. "Akane did deadlifts with a busted train."  
  
"Is that even really a workout at this point?" Kyouko rolls her eyes. "She can just throw that thing a mile."  
  
"It's enough of one." Akane walks by you. She flexes her hands and works her fingers. "So when's Takane coming over? And is Tomo gonna bring Uriko and Henrietta?"  
  
"Soon, yep. and yes." You sigh. You don't get _that_ many opportunities to get this much of a workout most of the time; you usually just have to make do with a few quick jogs and lifts with the full dumpster by your apartment. Kyouko does the same.  
  
"Well hopefully they're gonna get here." Kyouko pulls her water bottle up off the ground. "And why the hell do you still have that fanny pack?"  
  
"What? It's useful." You glare. "It does good things and helps me hold my water bottle. You know, so I don't have to wonder where I put it every five minutes."  
  
"It looks _terrible."_  
  
"It looks _practical!"_  
  
"It looks both." Akane shrugs. "And speaking of practical, Takane's coming up..." She pauses. "Is that Mina?"  
  
"Wait, what?" You and Kyouko both speak and turn at the same time. And sure enough, coming up the crest of the hill is Takane, and just beside her, in their hoodie with blue hair and a tuft of red, is your own child.  
  
Takane didn't let you know that she was going to bring your kid with her.

  
You set your jaw as Mina and Takane walk over the crest. You see Kyouko tense up, before she takes a deep, _deep_ breath and says, "Don't get pissed."  
  
"You're right. You're _right."_ You breathe in through your nose and exhale as loudly as possible. As they get closer, you notice that Takane doesn't look all there. You relax a bit more; there's a pretty handy explanation for why she didn't tell you beforehand.  
  
You glance to Kyouko. _'She's still thinking about the Witch, isn't she?'  
  
'Wait, what?' _Kyouko looks back. _'Ah, shit.'  
_  
You keep your eyes on Takane. As she and Minako get closer, she _winces. 'I...did I tell you?'  
  
'No.' _Kyouko answers before you do. _'No you didn't.'  
_  
Minako almost waves, their arm is halfway up from their side before they read the proverbial room. They bring their arm back to their side and glance to Takane. "You told them I was coming, right?"  
  
"I thought I did." Takane glances to the side, down the hill and towards the city.  
  
"That's not a small thing to leave out." You cross your arms. "Did you both plan on this or was this a spur-"  
  
"I suggested it." Minako raises their hand. Takane quickly turns her head to them in surprise. That tells you that Minako is lying. Poorly.  
  
But you're going to go along with it.  
  
"Okay. Sure." You walk over. "Just stay far back, okay? Training gets dangerous for non-magi."  
  
Takane steps forward to ask. "Do you know what place _is_ safe for them?"  
  
"Well, there's a spot up the hill. We can take them there." You move towards Minako and reach your hand out. "Get on my back."  
  
They stare at you incredulously. Then you motion for them to get on. Minako shrugs and wraps their arms around you. Without much effort you grab their legs, and their grip tightens as you _leap_ into the air. You don't jump as high as you normally would, that would risk seriously injuring Minako, but they still hold on for dear life around your neck as you take a few quick hops up the side of the hill toward the edge of the nearby forest.  
  
"Stay here. And we're going to have a talk about this later."  
  
Before Minako can answer, you leap off the hill and right towards the ground. Your feet _slam_ into the dirt, and you don't even bother to soften your landing. You clap your hands together. "Alright. So are we sparring or what." It's not a question.  
  
"You wanted to spar, right? Who are you doing it with?"  
  
"I uh..." Takane takes a step back. "Y-you. You! You're a strong, d-defensive opponent and I wanted to see if I could m-make a hit on you."  
  
"Alright." You breathe in through your nose. "I won't go easy on you-"  
  
"T-then..." Takane stops. She stands upright, takes a long, deep breath. She composes herself, steeling herself to a razor focus. "Then don't." Takane breathes out. "None of you have before and I don't want you to change that now."  
  
You crack your knuckles. "Good, now co-"  
  
They're already filling your vision before you can finish talking. You stop the hit with a bare-handed deflection, as a flash of green _fires_ towards the ground behind you. Both Akane and Kyouko jump out of the way and towards the sidelines, as both you and Takane transform mid-struggle.  
  
"Good. Forgo most of your transformation; just go for the attack."  
  
"It's an easy lesson to pin down." She says as her uniform materializes on her body.  
  
"Well," your armor shimmers into existence, before your blade appears in your hand, "that's still just lesson _one._ Here's _two through five."_  
  
You _sweep,_ a quick, vicious swing to her midsection before she fires her second round; an orange propulsion shot. She goes soaring backwards, just out of reach of your attack before she fires again, this time into the dirt just underneath her.  
  
She twists, mumbles something under her breath, before she fires a few more shots your direction. You whip your shield out, transform it into a massive tower shield, and drop to one knee. The shots _rain_ down, each one getting heavier than the last, before you feel Takane's feet _clamp_ against the surface. She jumps back violently, and it's then you notice...  
  
She's about to snap.  
  
You glance between her, her fingers, then the shield just over your head. You let go of the shield, and _kick.  
_  
She snaps. The shots attached to the shield _explode_ in a shower of green smoke. The shield rockets right towards the ground, bent in _half,_ before it bounces off the dirt with a spray of debris. You take that as an opportunity to shove your blade right into the center of it.  
  
The sword transforms in your hands, becoming a single, massive greatsword as you twist your torso, plant your feet, and bring it up in a spectacular arc. Takane blinks in shock, before she fires a bright, blue round. A wall of green energy erupts between you and her, but it's not enough to stop your momentum.  
  
It _is,_ however, enough to slow your swing. She jumps over your missed attack, before she _stomps_ it into the ground. She hurls into the sky, over your head, with another shot chambered. Another flash. This time you pull your greatsword up to block, and she plants her hands into the broad side of your sword. You can feel her start to jump off, but you decide to take a risk.  
  
You move your pommel first.  
  
She lands in the dirt, already chambering a new round, before you come in hard with your pommel. She deflects the hilt of your sword, before you pull a smaller blade out from underneath.  
  
But her deflection is messy. Her hand goes way too far as she tries to deflect the sword swing, her hands get crossed up; her right over her left. Her eyes widen as she realizes, a split second too late, that she's down a defensive option. And you take that opportunity to give her a punch to the face with your off-hand.  
  
To her credit, she's able to move her arms up to block your punch, and she jumps, right as you bring up a knee in an attempt to get her in the stomach.  
  
But that doesn't stop you from pulling your arms apart. Without a foothold she finds herself spinning wildly into the air, and without anything to stop protect her, you give her a hammer-strike directed right at her stomach. She brings her arms up to deflect it, but even then, the force still needs to go somewhere.  
  
She hits the ground _hard,_ with enough force to crater it. She coughs, her mouth wide open, her back probably feels like hell. You bring your blade back, ready to strike her as she goes for another torso strike.  
  
Except...except she just lies there. She's just fucking lying there. "I forfeit." She mutters.  
  
You blink in confusion, and say, "I didn't get a hit on your torso. It was just a series of deflections."  
  
"Yes, but I missed several opportunities. There was no way I was going to win in that scenario." She coughs again. "U-ugh, heck. I could have-"  
  
"You could have...? You could have what? I want to hear it." You turn your head towards her. You really didn't want to hear this now.  
  
"I mean I could have seen that pommel strike coming. O-or I could have gone under the sword and shot. Or I could have-"  
  
"Kept going." You say. "You weren't finished yet. You were lying on the ground." You square your shoulders to face her. "You weren't incapacitated, not according to the rules."  
  
"But I was done. I had lost."  
  
"You didn't _lose."_ You say. "You _forfeit._ You _gave up."  
_  
"There was no good way out of that." She sits up in the crater; her pain is apparently gone by this point. "My back was in the crater, there was nothing I could have-"  
  
"You could have done _a million different things!"_ You walk towards her. "You could have used those gauntlets of yours to _blow me away!_ You could have shot me while I was talking, you could have used the dust as a cover, you could have done any _number of things!"_  
  
"This is a training exercise to test my abilities, and my abilities are not _there yet."_  
  
"You won't _know_ that until you give it a fucking _try!"_ You're screaming at her now; you can't even see her expression through all the _red_. "There is no fucking impossible scenario that you can't fight your way out of! For all that you're overthinking shit, all that you're talking about how it's all impossible, how this scenario is unwinnable, and I cannot _believe_ that you have the gall to tell that to my fucking _face!"  
_  
Takane winces, then looks away.  
  
"All this after you and Minako went behind my back, and brought them here to watch for _what?_ What did you think it was a good idea to get them in _deeper?!"_  
  
"Sayaka-" Kyouko starts, but you don't acknowledge it. You're too deep into this.  
  
"I tried my goddamn hardest to keep them away from this and you're out here bringing them in to watch like it's a fucking _exhibition?_ Behind my back? Without _telling me?!"_  
  
"I _was_ going to tell you!" Takane's face falls. "It's not even that much of-"  
  
"Yeah you _were_ going to tell me. You _could have_ told me! But I guess that was another unwinnable fucking _scenario!"_  
  
The training grounds are silent. Minako is still on top of the cliff, just staring at the both of you. Takane is just shaking in her boots, still staring at you as you _exhale._ You're still fucking furious. You can't begin to articulate how angry you are.  
  
Then Takane sniffs. She shakes her head. Then she _sobs._ She falls to her knees and starts sobbing.  
  
You weren't expecting that. You probably should have expected that. Experience says don't press these girls. They're traumatized. They've been lied to. They're just like you were years ago. Except the past few days have probably hit you a bit harder than you'd care to admit.  
  
"Shit. Shit shit shit shit." You look to Kyouko, who's shaking her head rapidly.  
  
You turn back towards Minako who's not looking that great themself, glancing between their sobbing girlfriend, and then at you, the fucking bitch that just screamed at her for no fucking reason. What's wrong with you. You screamed at a child for not being adult enough. That's not a reasonable ask what is _wrong_ with you.  
  
"I uh...I think training's over." Akane mutters as she walks behind you and towards Minako's spot. _'I hope your next appointment's soon.'  
  
'I...I had it yesterday.' _You run your hand through your hair.  
  
_'Burgh.'_ Akane jumps over to get to Minako. They climb onto their arm.  
  
_'Let's just go home.'_ Kyouko grimaces. _'Christ.'  
  
'That was too far.'  
  
'It was.' _Kyouko pats your back. _'I just...I'll check on her later.'_

[=]

Your name is Minako, and you were silent on the way back to the apartment. The train ride was uncomfortably quiet; nobody was riding it when you and your moms got on-board. You're still leaning on Takane's shoulder. Her face is buried in her hands.  
  
She sniffles again. You rub your cheek against her shoulder, and you glance at your mom.  
  
She's staring out the window as the buildings pass by. It's just...you don't get her. You really don't get her sometimes. She rubs her eyes as she keeps staring out.  
  
Finally, the train stops. You and Takane leave the train. You give her a kiss, and she jumps out into the night on her way back to her dads' apartment.  
  
Your mom separates from the rest of you to go ahead and do...something. It's probably some magi bullshit. Whatever. You didn't want to talk to her yet anyway. It's probably something that you'll want to do later.  
  
And you find yourself climbing up the stairs towards the apartment where you and your moms live. You don't know if you should actually try to talk or not when your mom's back from that something at the pier.  
  
Your mama looks wildly uncomfortable as she stares out the window. She doesn't really even seem to be in a mood to talk. Truthfully, neither are you.  
  
You kind of just want to retreat into your room and lock the door and text Takane to see if she's okay.  
  
So it's a matter of figuring out what to do when your mom does come back...

You move closer to your mama. Not on the couch, lord no. But you do inch towards her on the floor. "So, uh, wanna play a-"  
  
"I don't think either of us are really in the mood to play a game, Mina." She turns her head away from the window to look at you. "I mean, if you wanna just...talk? We can talk. Don't need to play some fucking video game."  
  
"I...yeah. Yeah, I do. You're right." You inch to her a little more. She ruffles your hair and you giggle.  
  
"You know you're a sweet kid, right?" Your mama gives you a soft smile. You almost forget that she has fangs.  
  
Your glance down at your phone. You kind of want to text Takane.  
  
"Yeah, maybe text your girlfriend a little first. See if she's doing okay."  
  
You nod and type.  
  


> Takakokoro said:
> 
> you: hey  
>  you: you okay?
> 
> takane: I'm fine.  
>  takane: I'm okay.  
>  takane: I'm lying.  
>  takane: I'm so lying.
> 
> you: i'm sorry
> 
> takane: sorry for what?  
>  takane: I missed up
> 
> you: no you didn't
> 
> takane: *messed
> 
> you: my mom flipped the fuck out  
>  you: i don't even know what happened she just  
>  you: freaked out  
>  you: i don't get it  
>  you: i don't get her
> 
> takane: :<  
>  takane: she's doing her best
> 
> you: she made you cry!
> 
> takane: but shes right  
>  takane: i need to do better  
>  takane: like i cant keep doing that

You stare at the phone. She sends another message, but you don't respond. You just shove the phone onto the ground. Your mom was out of fucking line and Takane deserves better. You don't get _her_ either!  
  
You grab the sides of your heads. You want to scream. You want to put your hand through a window. You take a long, deep breath. "I don't _get_ her."  
  
"Don't get what?" She leans back in her chair. "Takane?"  
  
"No...yes! I mean... _ugh."_ You pull yourself back. "Yes. I mean her and mom, I just...I don't get them? I don't understand!"  
  
"Yeah, Saya's a mess." Your mama rolls on the couch. "She's a busy, busy mess."  
  
"I knew that much." You purse your lips.  
  
She shrugs. "I'm...okay, I'm not much better." She stares at the ceiling. "You know how I said...uh...you know how I talked to you the other night? About how being a magi was never, ever worth it?"  
  
You nod.  
  
"I wasn't exaggerating or kidding. Did we ever tell you about my...my father?"  
  
You wince. "N...no? I thought he was just an awful person that you...that you cut out of your life."  
  
"Maybe he wasn't an awful person before, but the last thing he did was unforgivable. And to an extent, it might have even been kind of my fault." She stares at the ceiling. "You could have had a grandma and an aunt, too."  
  
You feel a lump in your throat. "Y-my..." You shake your head "...h-he did what?"  
  
"It's been years, Mina, but I still think about it." She looks you in the eyes. "Sayaka hasn't had anything like that happen to her, but she's done some awful shit in her time. Being a magi changes things. It changes everything. It changes who you talk to, who you interact with, what you have to do to survive."  
  
"W-why didn't you tell me this before?" You jump. "Fuck, I just...!"  
  
"I didn't want to tell you because there is _no_ good way to tell you." She sits upright. "Do you know how hard your mom fought for this? Do you know how hard _I_ fought to keep things _'normal'?"_ She stands to her full height. "I didn't want this life for _you!_ I didn't want you to learn about any of this! Neither of us did, but I was better at keeping that lie."  
  
You bite your lip. She's not much better than your mom is with this, is she. It dawns on you that, really...really, you don't get either of them. You don't understand her, you don't understand your mom. Your mouth twitches. You give her another long, painful look.  
  
"Mina-"  
  
"I'm g-going to sleep." It's nine thirty. It's way too early for you to sleep. "I'm going to go the fuck to sleep."  
  
"Mina, please-"  
  
You keep walking forward right towards your room at the end of the hall. You _slam_ the door shut and lock it behind you. You climb into the bed, wrap yourself in the blanket. You didn't bring your phone in. You're probably going to regret that.  
  
But right now you really don't want to go back out.  
  
You hear your mom come back home, jumping up the wall right to the window. Kyouko opens it, and you hear them both say something muffled. Conversation is sparse. Neither of them are saying all that much, really.  
  
Good; maybe they can think about how they lied to you. Maybe they can regret it as much as you're regretting storming out. Fuck, you feel awful. You feel like they think you're stupid. You feel stupid.  
  
You _are_ stupid.  
  
You're fucking stupid.  
  
You're fucking stupid and you're being a petulant child. This is why they didn't want to tell you because you were going to throw a tantrum like this. You bury your head in the pillow.  
  
There's not even an inane argument coming from outside, just a dead, uncomfortable silence. The light from the hallway is still on; your moms haven't gone to bed yet. You can't hear anything from outside, not even a whisper.  
  
You turn yourself over in bed. The window at the end of the room is a bright blue, with a bit of neon purple coming from the streets below, filtered through a closed set of blinds. You keep staring at the window, like something interesting could happen. As though it'll solve your problems.  
  
You don't get your parents. You got a little closer but then they just shoved you back again. You wonder if you'll _ever_ really understand them.  
  
_['It's difficult, isn't it? You want to connect, but you don't know how.'](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtMwqJYGBug)  
_  
You perk up in bed. You open your mouth to speak.  
  
_'There's no need to speak with your tongue. You don't need that.'_ There's a soft patter from the window. A delicate touch of tiny feet.  
  
_'C...okay?'_ You squint at it, at the vague shape moving across your windowsill. You sloooowly move off your bed, your sheets over your shoulders as you inch towards the window.  
  
_'Like that, yes.'_ It moves in a way that's almost cat-like, with a shadow of a tail flicking every few moments.  
  
'Who...who are you?' You open the blinds. And staring right back are a pair of pink eyes set in the body of a strange creature with two enormous ears and a pair of floating rings encircling what look like a pair of furry streamers emerging from them. It licks its paw, scratches its head, and turns to face you.  
  
Your eyes narrow at the strange creature before the realization tingles the back of your head and runs down your spine in a chill. You stare at it, and a few words that your mom and your mama and your girlfriend said all echo through your head.  
  
'Y-you're the _thing._ That-'  
  
_'Yes. I am.'_ It flicks its tail again. _'I'm just a conduit, however. Simply a vessel for others' desires. I'm not the one with power; that would be the magi that I talk to. The ones I speak with, the ones who ultimately agree to let me make their souls shine with power that they've always possessed. There is no blame; they know the dangers. They always have.'_  
  
"What...who are you?"  
  


  
_'My name's Kyubey.'_ It tufts its chest and closes its eyes as it rubs its face. _'What's yours?'_


	14. Grunty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minako thinks about what they saw.

It's tomorrow. You didn't tell your parents about what you saw last night. You could barely even look them in the eye at breakfast, and frankly, you didn't feel like talking to them. Your walk to school is wildly uncomfortable; you don't get close to your friends, you _especially_ don't walk near Takane.  
  
But given how she looked on her way to school, she didn't seem like she was in that good a headspace, either.  
  
But what you _do_ think about is the creature on the windowsill. The thing that vanished as soon as you gave it a name. You looked away, and then suddenly, it was gone.  
  
You're still thinking about what it said, about what it was talking about. You glance to the side. There it is in an alleyway, still watching. You pass by a lamp post and it's gone.  
  
Then something taps your shoulder. You jump with a shriek, and you turn right towards the fucking fucker that just touched you- "Reika?!"  
  
Reika jumps back herself. "Whoa, you okay, Mina? You look like hell."  
  
You probably do. You slept like shit last night. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just fine..."

"I'm...right, no, no I'm not fine at all I'm just-" you breathe in through your nose, -"my mom yelled at Takane and made her cry on the spot and I had an argument with my mama and-"  
  
"Hey hey hey whoa whoa whoa." Reika presses her hands into your shoulders. "You had an argument?"  
  
"I-I didn't talk to my mom after that but I did argue with my mama and it's just-" You don't understand what they deal with on a daily basis. You don't get it. That white plush toy was on the money. You feel like you're losing your mind a little bit. "-I don't know. I'm just confused and frustrated and I don't know if I should even go to school today."  
  
"Hey, _hey..."_ She gives you a hug around your shoulders. Your knees get just a little bit weaker as you lean into her. "Hey, Mina-"  
  
"L-let's just get to school I can talk later I'm just-"  
  
She pats your back. "Mina you don't need to say anything else, alright? Are you sure you can go? I can bring you home if you-"  
  
"NO!"  
  
She jumps, then she sighs. "Right, argument. I'll get you to school then."  
  
"T-th-thank you." You stay with her as you all walk towards the school. You're pretty sure your school day is going to be miserable.

[=]

Your name is Sayaka, and once again, the new magi was unhelpful. They're sitting in front of you, one hand on the table, the other digging into a basket full of tortilla chips coated in nacho cheese. You asked what food that they liked and they said 'American'. You asked what they wanted to eat, and, well, they ordered the cheesiest, greasiest nachos you'd ever seen.  
  
It looked gross, but even then it's not your problem. It's for them. It's to get them to ease up while you ask them questions. Now you're currently alone in the restaurant; Kyouko is just across the street in a salad bar with a small bowl of plain leafy greens and way, way too much chicken.  
  
All in the name of keeping them from being overwhelmed. Of course, while it made them cooperative, you're beginning to run into a _different_ problem.  
  
"Do you know who Rin is?"  
  
"I do," they say.  
  
"Then what's her power?"  
  
"She uh..." They trail off. They stare at the ceiling, at the fans circling overhead, at the nacho cheese dripping off the chip in their hand. "She..."  
  
"Well." You rub your temples. "Do you know anything else? What kind of people there are in The Glow? How many people there are? We have _some_ numbers, but that doesn't always make information accurate."  
  
They lean on their hand. "I'unno. Forty?"  
  
You sigh. "Do you remember why you tried to kill Henrietta?"  
  
"Tried to...?" They blink. "Who?"  
  
"Pink girl with a cannon on a stick."  
  
"I-I...I'd...I don't know?" They look distressed at the thought. "I don't...why would I do that?"  
  
"That's a good question. That's why I'm asking."  
  
You're fighting back annoyance. You skipped work specifically to talk to them but you're still not in the right headspace. You still feel a knot in your throat from how you yelled at Minako's girlfriend. You still feel _terrible._  
  
But you also know how time-sensitive this is. "Okay. Well, I guess that clears up why we didn't know about The Glow until now." You turn your head to the side.  
  
_'They don't know anything?'  
  
'Not a clue.' _You sigh. _'Either Rin's control wears off, or something else is...'_ A thought crosses your mind. You think of an idea, a potential explanation for the magical girls from Kasamino. _'...I just got an idea.'_  
  
You lean forward. "Well...how about a feeling?" You lean forwards. "Do you remember any _feelings?"_  
  
"Uh." They stare at you. "Confusion."  
  
"Aside from confusion."  
  
They lean onto their hand again. "Uhh. Uhhmm." They look between you and the nachos in front of them. "This is paid-"  
  
"Yes, I'm paying for it."  
  
"Cool." They shove more nachos in their mouth. "Uh...I was...I felt nothing?" They look to the side. "I mean, I remember...stuff? I remember emptiness. Just..." They look at you, then their eyes dart to the side.  
  
"Did you have a family in Kasa-"  
  
"No." They cut you off before you can finish. So that definitely clears up part of why they were picked up by The Glow.  
  
"How about friends?"  
  
"I uh...I had a friend." They scratch their head. "She left, I think? I don't remember, I just, I just remember her leaving." They look to the side. They squint. "But I think...feelings."  
  
"Such as...?"  
  
"Iunno it was...wait. Wait!" They raise a hand. "There was joy. I remember uh, ooooobeying? I just...felt like my heart was melting?" They rub their cheek again. "I just remember some stuff and not others. I went to school until I didn't, I lived alone until something else."  
  
You gotta hand it to Rin. She has a pretty succinct way of keeping information from leaking out of town. How do you hide the growing coalition? You either threaten people, which means making enemies, or you make people forget you.  
  
It obviously doesn't work on girls who haven't been swayed, so that means there are _enforcers._  
  
A fact that they don't seem very aware of.

"So, first question." You lean towards them as they stuff another chip in their mouth. "Do you remember why you're here?"  
  
"Transferred, I guess?" They shrug.  
  
"Did you feel any strong emotions during that?"  
  
They stop midway through. Their eyes flicker between the chip, you, and the cheese dripping off the edge. They scratch their ear. "I guess I was mad? Very mad."  
  
"Betrayed?"  
  
"Yeah." They stuff the chip in. "Shsush lighsh I washsh betryyed."  
  
"You felt like you were betrayed?"  
  
They swallow. "Yeah, that's what I said."  
  
You nod. "Well...okay, how do you feel about Rin?"  
  
"Uh, okay? I mean-" They scratch their chin again. "I..."  
  
"Lady Rin." You say instead.  
  
That makes them pause. Their eyes light up before their expression drops down to normal. "T-that was weird. That was _weird._ I..." They shake their head. "I don't _know_ her I don't even..." They pinch the bridge of their nose and shake their head. "I think I have a headache."  
  
Yeah, that's not good, actually.  
  
"Alright, so we have a number of hotspots and safehouses for magi in the city. There are currently fifty-seven total magi, fifty-eight if we include you, including sixteen adult magi, and a number of places to stay either temporarily or permanently."  
  
They shrug. "Okay." They don't seem all that surprised that you have places to stay; you wonder if Rin offered the same thing in Kasamino...  
  
Now, of course, one of the least pleasant questions you'll need to ask. "Now, this is obviously incomplete; I don't know her exact skillset..." You glance outside to Kyouko, and she gives you a nod and a thumbs-up. "...but I believe that Rin was attempting to manipulate you."  
  
"But why? I'm kind of a nobody." They shrug. "I mean, I don't live anywhere. I don't got nobody."  
  
"That's actually a perfect candidate. It means she could use you to, say...kill someone."  
  
They stare at you. They stare at you for a _while._ "Wait, are you saying I killed-"  
  
"I'm saying that when I encountered you two days ago, you were attempting to kill another magi. You and I engaged in combat-"  
  
They grab their chest. "W-wait, so that's why my chest is-" They look down at their chest, then at you. "What was I doing?"  
  
"You were being forced to kill another magi. Do you remember anything about that, any feelings?"  
  
"I-I thought-I wouldn't-" They look down at their nachos, then at you. They whip their head to the side, out the window, then right back at you. "I-I'm not a _killer!"_  
  
"I never said you were." You unfold your arms (you didn't even realize you _had_ folded them).  
  
"Y-you're trying to set me up again!"  
  
_Again? What?_ "What are you talking about?"  
  
"I-I'm being framed again I can't go back again I'm just-!"  
  
You quickly whip a grief seed out of your pocket and press it against the ring on their finger, hard enough to slam their hand back on the table and shake the basket. Their eyes are shaking as they stare at your hand, at the grief seed between your fingers, then back at you. Their breathing slows, just a little.  
  
"I didn't think you were at fault," you say. "I never thought that. But I did think that you were being manipulated. You were being _toyed with."_  
  
They look away, eyes narrowed, biting their lip as they just stare off to the side. "I-I dunno anything."  
  
"You knew enough to help," you say. "Thank you."  
  
They just bite down on another corn chip in response. Ten minutes later, you've paid their check. This time, the magi was going to go towards the south end of town, just a block away from Akane's apartment. They're escorted by a few of your younger students off towards the southern beaches. Kyouko, meanwhile, has finally finished her bland, boring salad that she didn't even like.  
  
You pull the chair back and sit down right next to her before she shoves the empty metal salad bowl your way.  
  
"You could have put vinaigrette in it," you say.  
  
"Yeah, I probably could've." Kyouko turns to you. "So, theories? I wanna hear yours first."  
  
"Emotional manipulation, maybe memory control?" You shrug. "But emotional manipulation messes with free will. I don't think that alone leads to this much control."  
  
"Well, memories are a part of the brain right?" Kyouko sips a little bit of soda out of her cup. "I mean, if a head's fucking destroyed, so're that person's memories. The personality can be brought back, but memories don't come back. Or if they do, they're spotty."  
  
"Yeah, I remember what happened with Chou." You sigh. She witched not long after Walpurgisnacht. You yourself have had your brain rattled a few times, but there's a difference between that and having it outright destroyed. Magi skulls are hardy; it takes a lot to actually break one. But the feeling is _deeply_ unpleasant, and fishing bullets out of head meat is a right pain.  
  
"Wait, actually." Kyouko snaps her fingers. "What if her power requires convincing?"  
  
"What do you mean?" You turn your head.  
  
"Well, think about it." She points at you. "A soul gem's connection is basically the link between your filthy meat body and your free will. The connection can't be interrupted, at least not by _force..."_  
  
"But if you willfully let it _connect,_ she can control you." You turn to her. "So she actually straight up _is_ a cult leader. Just more literal than normal."  
  
"Takes desperate kids that don't know better, tells them sweet little nothings, and rallies them up." Kyouko snaps her fingers. "Shit, I think we're at least kinda figuring it out. But that still leaves the rest of her group. And whether or not the memory thing is even _her_ ability."  
  
"It also doesn't add up with the 'timeline' stuff we heard about." You scratch your jaw. "Is that another magi? Is that hers? Does that involve seeing other timelines? Bringing people in from other timelines?"  
  
Kyouko shudders. "Oh, fuck, imagine if they brought another me or another you."  
  
You lean over. "Honestly, I'm surprised you didn't make a threesome joke."  
  
Kyouko's eyes go half-lidded as she leans on her arm, brings up two fingers, and then _splits._ A clone of her two fingers pops into existence before a clone emerges from behind her and sticks out its tongue.  
  
"Jokes are for cowards, hon."  
  
You snicker. "Not in _public._ At least not this time."  
  
Kyouko's clone vanishes in a cloud of red dust as she drags her fingers across the table. "Well, there's still a lot we don't know. And I dunno 'bout you, but I don't really feel comfortable about just letting this fester."  
  
"So what're you suggesting?" you ask.  
  
Kyouko leans back. "Do we have a spy? Preferably someone that could resist whatever mind-whammy stuff is going on in Kasamino."  
  
"That's the thing. We don't even know if they're spying on _us._ And after telling them to fuck off of our territory, sending a spy over sounds like a good way to look hypocritical."  
  
"I don't think they fucking care. And I'm not sure I do either. They already sent hostile shit our way, and we both know they're not gonna keep to themselves."  
  
She's right. Now that The Glow is an obvious threat, you're pretty sure they're going to forego any covert operations and plans.

You clap your hands. You have an idea of how you want to build the team, and thankfully you do have a number of magi with abilities perfect for the job.  
  
"Alright, I'll get a few of them ready."  
  
"A few? You're sending in a team?"  
  
"Just for tonight. Like, think of it this way-"  
  
"I wasn't gonna disagree, Sayaka." Kyouko stands up. "I mean, I think it's a good idea, too. Even if they're spotted, it's better than just losing info. Or, god forbid, losing a magi."  
  
"Exactly." You crack your neck. "Think it's time to patrol the bridge."  
  
"Yee." Kyouko keeps pace with you as you both slowly leave the restaurant. You've got a number of different things to think about on the way there; you don't _suspect_ they'll send anyone your way today, but there's only one way to know for sure.  
  
You know two women who can easily commute to Kasamino, but only one of them, Erika, has an ability that might actually be helpful for spying. Namely, she is capable of seeing everything, from every angle, within a range of three-hundred meters. It is borderline omniscience within a vast area, with perfect placement and knowledge of all goings-on within. However, because of how taxing it is, it can only last fifteen seconds at a time, and she can only do it once every twenty minutes. Given the breadth of the information she's taking in, you can easily see why she wouldn't use it _that_ frequently.  
  
But even with that limitation, she's still a perfect scout; indistinct, completely pedestrian. But if things get hairy, her speed and combat prowess make for an easy getaway. Of course, that doesn't change the fact that she's probably gonna have to find work elsewhere if she's spotted, but it would hardly be the first time you've had to help magi relocate.  
  
This does raise the question of why neither of them had heard of _The Glow_ before now. You wonder if that's perhaps because they don't conduct magi business in the city, or that in the middle of normal work they simply don't bother?  
  
You'll have to check on them later, perhaps.  
  
Next on the list would be Suzu, with brick-red hair and ability to sense threats. This means _all_ threats; existential, incoming, and immediate. She can sense them in waves, from deep discomfort when a threat is hours away to sharp signals when it's minutes out to borderline clairvoyance when danger is imminent. It doesn't stop danger from coming, nor does it make her invincible, but ever since you helped her focus her abilities, it stopped resembling, well, near-constant anxiety and more like an intense, long-running spidey-sense.  
  
Green-and-yellow Takara is another choice. She sports the ability to disrupt communications, including scrambling the connection between a magi's body and their soul gem (though only temporarily). The more important part is preventing other magi from getting the word out, and potentially knocking them out long enough to make a getaway.  
  
The most useful of the lot, however, would be Ume and her ability to vanish. It's not true invisibility; it doesn't last long and the warped air is easy enough to track if you know what to look for. But the trick lies in the fact that most people have _no_ clue what to seek out. Her trick only works until it doesn't, but most magi will never, ever be able to find her.  
  
They all responded quickly. They haven't worked together in this kind of group before, but if there's anything you've taught your magi, it's how to cooperate. You'll probably get some kind of report tomorrow.

[=]

Your name is Minako. And you haven't seen Takane on the rooftop today. You glance over, your eyes staring out in an attempt to find her _somewhere._ As though staring out into the nothingness of Mitakihara's skyline will make her appear.  
  
It obviously doesn't work that way. But you so wish it did. You start to think that your messages last night scared her off. Maybe she didn't want to talk to you. Maybe you treated her like shit because you were mad. You didn't mean to do that. You shouldn't have done that.  
  
You keep stewing in your own head, thoughts passing through at a million miles an hour, each one worse than the last. Finally, though, you hear footsteps. You whip your head to the side to see, well...speak of the devil.  
  
Takane's already there. She's holding her arm, a little bit ashamed.  
  
You hesitantly raise an arm to wave at her. "Uh...hey."  
  
She gives you a soft smile.  
  
"Hi."  
  
There's a long, awkward silence. You both stare at one another before she scratches the back of her head. She stretches her hand and exposes what, to your eye, looks like a big green egg; a simple, gold-lined jewel, glimmering in the light...with a growing pool of black. She raises her hand over her head, and as she does so, the blackness spills.  
  
It spills out of the edge, towards the ground, before it _slooowly_ shifts upwards. The black smoke flickers as it flies up, up and uuuup towards, of all things, the Mitakihara monument.  
  
The grief vanishes into the monument, sloooooowly pooling on its surface before vanishing entirely.  
  


  
You stare up at the monument, then back to Takane.  
  
"The...monument's related to magi?"  
  
"In a way, yes," she says. "There's...okay, there is a lot to be said. Something like: it's a thing that falls from the monsters we fight after we kill them, and we use them to cleanse our...our soul gems."  
  
You look at her for a second, then at the gem in her hand. Before you can catch yourself, she nods.  
  
"The name is literal, yes."  
  
You look at the thing flicker in her hand, the green swirling around. Finally, a few things click in your head.  
  
"Souls are real?"  
  
"Very."  
  
"And...that's...uh...that's yours?" You point at the thing.  
  
"Yes." She slowly walks towards you. "It's a trade; your soul is removed, and your body is made immensely stronger."  
  
"That black stuff is dangerous?" You look up at her.  
  
"Too much of it can-" she cuts herself off, internally debating telling you something that honestly...you're already going to guess, "-kill a magi, yes."  
  
That explains a lot.  
  
She scratches her head. "Sorry for just dropping that on you out of nowhere, but I...I'd kind of been neglecting it. I don't need to cleanse often, but sometimes it just gets bad."  
  
"Huh." You think you should be more surprised than you actually are. You scratch your chin; a little bit of discomfort from how you're just kind of accepting the existence of souls and that the giant bizarre monument is a massive magi-related _something._ But to your credit, you're taking it in stride.

You scratch the back of your head. "Do you actually want to talk about magi stuff? Or, uh...yesterday." You scoot closer. "I mean if you don't wanna, we can just be silly. Hang out. Talk about movies. Like how we're gonna see a really shitty one next time." You smile as broadly as you can at her. Probably a bit too broadly, but it's something she probably needs right now.  
  
And judging by the way she giggles when she sees you, it worked. She sighs and walks closer to you.  
  
"You're right. I don't want to talk about magi business right now. And your mom is..."  
  
"Was completely un-fuckin'-called-for. And you ain't gonna convince me otherwise." You lean onto her shoulder.  
  
She doesn't flinch back at the touch; another good sign. Instead, she wraps her hand around your shoulder. "You're right. I'd much rather relax now."  
  
You rub your face in her shoulder. "Good.  
  
"So do you wanna watch a movie?" you ask. "Like, after school? I wanna date again."  
  
She chuckles. "That would be nice, yeah. Oh, perhaps a walk in the park?"  
  
You shrug. "I could. I mean, it's close to the school; we can just go there afterwards, keep to a bench, relax a little..." You wrap your fingers around hers. "Forget about magi shit, at least for a little while."  
  
She takes another breath. "Yeah. But even here, it's just...every so often one of those things does crop up. A witch."  
  
Your mental image immediately goes to a poorly-drawn image of Gruntilda.  
  


  
"Like...green skin and a broomstick and a black pointy hat and an evil _EEHEEHEE_ laugh and she also rhymes?"  
  
"W-what?"  
  
["And she also has a theme song-"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UPzduJ8vxo)  
  
"I feel like you are making a very specific reference. But no, it's...not quite like that. Witches _are_ the monsters we fight. They're strange. Like nothing you've ever seen, nor will you ever see. Like moving art, collages, statues brought to life, stitches and tears in reality given form."  
  
"I have no idea how to parse that." You find yourself a little bit curious, honestly. You can't even imagine how these things would look.  
  
"All you need to know is that they're bizarre."  
  
"Huh." You stare gormlessly into space. You keep looking into the sky, at the clouds passing overhead...then you turn back to her. "So what kinda movies do you normally like?"  
  
"Oh, kaiju!" She grins. "Giant monsters and other films that involve large monsters and machines together."  
  
"So uh...Godzilla?"  
  
"Especially Godzilla."

[=]

Hours later, and you and Takane have started your way towards the park. School went by pretty quickly. You let your moms know that you're going to be at the park with your girlfriend as you left school. Nothing too special, nothing too grand. Just a date, maybe a smooch.  
  
You both make your way towards the massive brick pathway, supposedly a remnant from Old Mitakihara back before the disaster twenty years ago. Of all things that survived the cataclysm, especially _this close_ to the epicenter, it had to be this brick road.  
  
Not that you mind. It's still stained with blue and gold, and every so often the some of the brick has been replaced by very, very obvious new masonry. You and Takane sit on a bench, and as soon as you do, you wriggle a bit and put your head in her lap.  
  
"Myeh." You continue to wriggle. "This is nice."  
  
She giggles. "That is incredibly cute."  
  
"I'm adorable." You wiggle a little more. You've gotten more comfortable with her. For someone that you were so smitten with, you managed to get pretty comfortable in a short amount of time. It's just...you both got along and you clicked.  
  
You were expecting something a little more climactic. More dramatic. More tearful confessions of love, but you didn't...really get that?  
  
And honestly, you're fine with that. You're okay with just "I wanna date" and then you do.  
  
"Yes. Yes you are." She leans over your head. "So, what about you?"  
  
"Me?" You scratch your head. "I like bad movies. Really bad movies." You giggle. "I mean, Hausu's my favorite film ever."  
  
"Didn't that get a sequel?"  
  
"It wasn't the same." You wave a hand. "The original movie is just...kinda a trainwreck? I heard it took them just a week to throw it all together and you can't really get that same level of bad from a movie that's _trying_ to be bad. Bad has to be natural, y'know? You can't force sincerity."  
  
"I guess not." Takane rubs her hand across your hair. You whine a little and she pulls her hand away.  
  
"Noooo that was a good whine." You raise your hands. "Keep doing that."  
  
She laughs out loud and brings her head down. You move up. She kisses you on the forehead.  
  
"Heee." You close your eyes. "I'm just glad that it seems to be pretty okay so far. Not a complete disaster." You sigh. "Thanks for coming out with me, Takane." You scratch your chin and take a look up. "I gotta come up with a fun pet name."  
  
To your disappointment, Takane seems to be distracted. She's staring dead ahead, eyes narrowed as she keeps watch on _something_ in the distance. She's not responding to you, even as you just watch up at her chin.  
  
"Takane?"  
  
"I'm sorry," she says. "There's something here."  
  
"A...witch?"  
  
She looks down at you, and you immediately pull yourself upright. She stands up off the bench. "I'm sorry; I'll be back in just a second."  
  
"Takane-"  
  
"It won't take that long, I _promise."_  
  
She takes a few steps backwards. She looks up towards your apartment complex, then to the side with a quick jerk of her head. She sees a number of people wandering through the streets, seemingly entranced, and as she traces the crowd, she notices them converging on something.  
  
She _dashes_ out of your sight, right towards...wherever.  
  
You watch the cloud of dust behind her flutter towards the ground. You stand up before she's even out of your sight. You want to shout out to her, but then you stop yourself.  
  
She'd try to stop you. She doesn't want you to put yourself in danger. But these people are kissed like that boy on the roof. If they're gonna endanger themselves, you're sure as fuck not going to leave them to it.  
  
You look at your phone. You could call your moms right now. You could call them and...then your mom would yell at your girlfriend, and your mama wouldn't stop it. They might even yell at you.  
  
This isn't worth it. You put it back.  
  
This isn't their problem. You don't need to talk to them now. You can handle this. You can at _least_ handle the people.  
  
So you run. You run through the park, south out of the entrance, right to the alleyway where your girlfriend ran in. You run past traffic (it's light at this time of day, and Mitakihara doesn't have many cars anyway) and past a dumpster and right into the alleyway.  
  
Ten students, each of them from the school, just wandered into this alleyway. They're marching mindlessly through the back alleys and towards...well, you haven't a clue.  
  
And among them? _Reika._ You can see her blue hair among the crowd atop a vacant expression, face stretched into a smile.


	15. Noi!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a game of chess.

You immediately run through the alleyway, and as soon as you do, you bump into a boy's chest; one of the older students, easily a head taller than you and with a thick barrel chest. You stumble backwards on impact before whipping around to see where Reika and the others are going.  
  
Mitakihara is a city where massive chunks had been torn out of the ground in the cataclysm, and what was once a consistent hillside city became one with holes gouged into its landscape. There are parts where the city will suddenly dive into a cliff before recovering. Many of those holes have since been patched up or overlaid with new buildings or lakes, but this one?  
  
This one is still wide-open. It's a gaping chasm that didn't look good as a lake but was too expensive to patch up. And the railing is flimsy; hardly railing at all.  
  
Just another thing the city officials didn't bother fixing after the disaster, and given that the rest of the city took years of rebuilding, it's not hard to see why.  
  
And it's currently where your best friend is heading.  
  
You quickly look around. There's gotta be something useful you can use to stop them from hitting that cliff. You run ahead, past Reika as she takes notice. "Miinaaaaaa..."  
  
You ignore her as you rush past. You glance behind once, then towards a nearby lamppost. There's a fire escape (a rarity here), a plant, and...a _whole_ bunch of discarded boxes. Someone was getting ready to move and just dumped a whole bunch of trash right next to the dumpster, right in the path where everyone's heading.  
  
You _yank_ the lowermost piece of trash out of the way and immediately it all comes tumbling down. The path is blocked, and the kids immediately start wandering backwards. Probably not good enough; they'll find some other way out. You run around the building. You rummage through the trash and then you find a sphere. Upon closer inspection, it's detonating flame retardant; it covers everything in a thick, non-toxic foam. You have no idea why they threw this in the trash. Probably because it's a disruptive menace and way too easy to abuse as a prank.  
  
You hope it's as obnoxious as it sounds. You pull the tab at the top. It starts to beep as you throw it at one of the kids' feet.  
  
There's a _pop_ and a _fizz_ before foam _fills_ a chunk of the alleyway. There's a cry of alarm and a bit of swearing, and you can tell that a few of the kids were just knocked out of their trance. "What the _fuck is-"_  
  
"Sorry!" You pull out a fire extinguisher next; this thing is almost empty, freshly used. But it should be just enough to disrupt everyone else. You wade through foam, the stuff covering your legs and seeping into your skirt and _aw christ it's gonna be such a pain to clean off_ and you see three of the girls trying to decide which direction to go towards oblivion.  
  
You spray them in the face with more foam.  
  
"Mina w-what the _fuck!?"_  
  
"I'm super sorry!" You throw it across the ground. Two more kids, one of them Reika. You turn back towards the alleyway entrance, then to where you threw the trash down, then north, then south. You can see Reika exiting the alley southward. You run down the path and scoop up a full trash bag. It's light, but _god_ it smells. It smells _so bad._  
  
It's _perfect._  
  
You round the corner and throw the _entire bag_ at one of the kids ahead of you. It smashes him in the face, launching him backwards as the trash bag bursts like a water balloon filled with rotten fruit. He screams in horror as he's absolutely _drenched_ in garbage, before you notice that Reika isn't with him.  
  
"Ah, _shit."_ You charge past him as he finally wipes the gunk out of his eyes. "Also sorry, you'll thank me later _sorry!"_  
  
You vaguely hear a "fuck you" in the distance as you charge past him and right towards Reika. She's wandering across the sidewalk a scant twenty meters from the edge.  
  
Your feet crash into the ground, a ground that rapidly turns from concrete to pavement to brick to something else entirely as you run forward.  
  
You scoop a rotten tomato off the ground and _throw_ it at her back. It splashes against her uniform, and as soon as she stumbles forward, her shoulders go rock-still. She turns towards you. "W-was that a fucking-"  
  
"That was a tomato, yes," you say. The world turns orange around you. "Are you okay?!"  
  
"You threw a fucking _rotten tomato at me!"_ Reika's staring at you mostly in shock and maybe a little bit of _fury._ "What the hell-" She looks around. "What the hell?"  
  
"Yeah you were in a trance I had to..." you follow her gaze and trail off "...had to...oh."  
  
[Around you, the world's turned monochrome](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdXTqxTWxcM), with both you and Reika standing upon a checkerboard. A great castle towers in the distance, a massive, gothic thing that looms overhead around a marble town of houses, statues, and cracked chess pieces. The sky is full of chains, the sun locked in place by a massive mandala.  
  
You trace your eyes towards the castle as the thing trembles away in a black sky.  
  


  
"W-where the fuck are we?" Reika's eyes dart towards you.  
  
"We're exactly where we shouldn't be." You take a step back. "A-also if you were wondering what I was worried about, this is what that is."  
  
"W-what?"  
  
You probably should just pull out your phone now. Argument or no, this is _exactly_ where you shouldn't be. Thankfully there's still a signal. You quickly text both your parents.  
  


> GROUP CHAT said:
> 
> you: im in a fuckin witch thing  
>  you: just outside school  
>  you: some of my friends were kissed and i saved them  
>  you: pls pick me up

Probably not the best way to put it, but there is _no_ good way to put this. You take a look up further. At the top of the tower ahead of you, you see a burst of green light, followed by an _explosion_ and a shower of debris. Two figures dance at the top of the tower; one is green, the other pitch-black with a swirling red cape.  
  
The chessboard under your feet is dead still, as are the chess pieces.  
  
You don't want to see them move. But lord knows you have no idea where the exit is. You don't even know if there _is_ an exit.

You glance at the pieces around you, then you stand _stock still._ The sky overhead slowly rotates as the tower trembles and the pieces stay next to you. The square under your feet is just large enough for you to keep a wide stance, just enough for you to stay perfectly still. You glance at Reika.  
  
"Don't move!" You raise your hands. "Let's...okay, I don't think it'll do anything if we stay still."  
  
Reika stares at you for a few long seconds before she takes a deep, deep breath and stands stock still. Her back straightens, jaw tightens, feet stop moving. She stares at the pieces around her.  
  
"They...they run on _chess rules?"_  
  
"They can't take a turn if we stall." Your hands are shaking. You're trying to keep yourself from panicking. To your credit, you haven't started running quite yet.  
  
"W-what the fuck is happening?" Reika keeps her back straight as she stays frozen in her square. She glances down every few seconds, just to make sure she isn't moving too much. "What is even going _on?"_  
  
"I think...I think this is a witch."  
  
"What, like _Gruntil-"_  
  
"No, not like Gruntilda!"  
  
Your eyes dart back to the tower. The mandala overhead spins and twirls before an _explosion_ rocks the top of the tower. There's a shower of debris, followed by a swift _slice_ through the air.  
  
The sun itself is slashed in two. The mandala follows soon after, shattering as a blade passes into the sky.  
  
The air _splits,_ blood pouring from the crack in massive globules of red. The air turns heavy and thick as a figure is blown backwards at high speed, right towards the two of you. As soon as she hits the ground, tiles are blown into the sky. Squares fly in every which direction as the chess pieces try and fail to make their moves.  
  
Finally she bounces upwards and across the ground before finally sliding to a halt right in front of you. She whips her arms backwards, two spent cartridges tumbling from them as she huffs.  
  
"Propulsion!"  
  
She reloads in front of you, knocking two new cartridges onto her arms.  
  
Then you notice her green hair. And her shimmering green uniform. _"Takane!"_  
  
Reika sputters. "H-holy fuck that's your _girlfriend?!"_  
  
Takane's head whips back to face you. "Mina?! What the heck are you doi-"  
  
Before she can finish, she cuts herself off. She stops talking, quickly whipping her arms forwards. She slams her back heel into the tile, deep into the dirt, before a full black figure, shaped like a gigantic, misshapen knight, slams into her full-bore.  
  
Its left arm is tiny, but its right is massive, with a blade embedded in its hand. The head is nothing but a golden crown, heavily molten and barely hanging onto the neck of the knight as it presses against her. The cape on its back swings wildly, a red diamond pattern just as vivid as the heart-shaped blood that drips from the sky overhead.

Takane's left hand grips the blade before she _punches_ it with her right. Her fist _fires,_ momentum carrying her around at high speed before she slams her elbow right into the flat of the witch-queen's blade.  
  
The sound is like a bell; deafening, powerful, almost like getting punched in the chest by a pounding bass.  
  
The witch is blown to the side, where it crashes into a pile of its own familiars in a shower of pawns. She reloads her guns.  
  
When the air stops ringing, she finally asks "How did you get _in here?!"_  
  
"Reika was kissed!"  
  
"Okay, that makes _some_ sense-hold up."  
  
She fires a full volley into the buildings to your left, little bitty shots hitting the marble with a _tink-tink-tink._ She fires and fires until she spends her cartridge, then throws both her arms over her shoulders and _snaps._ The entire skyline to your left erupts into a pillar of flame and debris, and the mandala overhead breaks apart into floating shards.  
  
"And then you somehow wound up chasing her in _here?"_  
  
"There were nine other students; I had to take care of them _then_ her!"  
  
Takane shakes her head. "I've been taking too darn long on this witch." She whips her head back towards you. "Keep where you are! I'll try to finish this up quick!" She turns her head and-  
  
The witch is already out of the flame. Its cape has turned to cinders, which unfold into ashen clubs. Debris flutters towards the ground, shedding off of the witch like an unwanted coat as the Queen swings its card-shaped arm. It flexes around, revealing red ribbons bursting from its belly as little hearts drip onto the floor.  
  
The sky bursts even further. The mandala falls apart as the sun blinks out of existence. The witch howls in _rage,_ the blade that makes up its hand flexing as though it were made of fingerbones, and from here you can see it almost grow a _halo._  
  
You suppose that's where the sun went.  
  
"SHIELD!" Takane reloads and fires at the witch five times. Five lily-shaped shields burst into view. With its one tiny, spindly little arm it grabs onto the nearest shield and _slams_ its face into it.  
  
Several pawns inch closer to Takane, sliding into view with a heavy _scraaaaaaaape_ across the ground. From the sound they make, you're guessing they're _massive,_ each probably as heavy as a car as they riiiise over the tile and _slam_ into it like a piston.  
  
To the left, you see Reika watching in muted shock and horror, hands on her face as the chaos unfolds around you. Your phone rumbles in your pocket. The ground shudders under your feet and yet more squares are thrown sky-high as Takane keeps on fighting and bashing and clashing her way through.  
  
And in the corner of your eye, you think you notice something.  
  
More specifically, you see two tiny, red little eyes.  
  
The same you saw last night.

You pull your phone off your waist. Immediately you're faced with a _number_ of missed calls. Three in a row, all from your mom, with two from your mama. A second later and it rings and you _immediately_ pick it up. "MOM!"  
  
_"We're on our way, Mina!"_ You hear panting. She's been running non-stop.  
  
"D-do you have-?!"  
  
_"I have your location on my phone I know_ exactly _where you are keep your eyes peeled, pay attention, if it seems unsafe it probably is, **and for the love of god keep close to a Magi."** _This time you hear something _cracking,_ followed by screeching metal.  
  
"My girlfriend's here! So is Reika! I followed her into the barrier after she was kissed and it's just-!"  
  
_"Try to stay as calm as you can and stay close to Takane, and make sure Reika stays with you! I love you!"_ She hangs up, presumably to get to you faster.  
  
You whip your head around as Takane is thrown at high speed into a pawn. It shatters into a shower of marble shards, pieces peppering the ground behind it before she crashes into a second, then a third. The checkerboard tile crumbles underneath her feet, the ground beneath _yours_ shaky and uneven. Every single impact loosens the floor; the rules of the game are becoming less and less clear as the chaos gets worse.  
  
Takane deflects another swing from the witch, then another, then another, careful to make sure each hit impacts her hand and forearm rather than anything below that. She quickly reloads again, this time without a word, and she fires several rounds directly into the belly of the witch.  
  
Diamonds fly out the back, the cauldron-like chestplate cracking and splintering with each impact. But even then, she can't exactly account for the tile under her feet.  
  
The ground beneath you _crumbles._ You and Reika begin to tumble downwards as the tiles give way to a _massive chasm._ It's just a floor of near-infinite black, a sea of clubs as far as you can see. Your eyes turn to watch as the tiles splash into the sea of clubs, a maelstrom of shapes among a catastrophe of card suits and pawns.  
  
Takane pounds at the witch, desperately trying to rip its chest open before she notices you and Reika falling. She _grabs_ the witch, mind moving a mile a minute as she forces her enemy away.  
  
_**"SHIELD, PLATFORM!"**_  
  
Two shots rocket towards you and Reika before ballooning into two umbrella-shaped flowers. The flowers descend, each fluttering on downwards before they land in the sea of clubs with a _splash._  
  
And of course, in your own makeshift raft is _that creature,_ once again. It doesn't even seem fazed by the chaos as you watch overhead.  
  
Takane immediately whips around to block another hit, but this time it's sloppy, a dead-on t-bone block when she should have deflected the sword swing. You can hear the crack from fifty meters away, a horrible, bone-crunching impact as she lets out a howl of pain.  
  
She's launched away with enough force to send her skipping across the sea of clubs, right into a marble cave wall. The witch lands, the sea rippling under its misshapen legs before quickly forming a solid platform.  
  
It shouts incomprehensible orders, garbled nonsense as Takane sits in the wall.  
  
She's just in the wall. She's stuck in the wall. She can't _do_ anything. And you can tell because she looks at her arms.  
  
She tries to raise her left, and you immediately want to vomit because the second you see her arm, you see that her hand is shattered. The hand that she caressed your hair with, that she held you with is now bent backwards.  
  
Further down and you can see _bone_ sticking out of her arm. Horrible and jagged bone, her magical girl outfit slick with blood.  
  
The shotgun gauntlet is dented to the point of being an incomprehensible mass of metal. The cartridges are leaking magical gunpowder. You turn your eyes to the creature in your little green boat, this shitty little raft in the middle of a sea of chaos.  
  
It doesn't say anything. It just slowly turns its red beady fucking eyes towards your girlfriend. As though it's expecting something out of you.  
  
Then it finally speaks.  
  
_'I do not blame you for your caution.'_  
  
The world seems to go dead silent. You can almost feel the world around you begin to slow. You don't know if it's magic, adrenaline, or the fact that your goddamn brain is slowing everything down so you can _watch your girlfriend die.  
  
'Plunging into the unknown is terrifying for humans. I pretend to not understand, but truthfully, we do. We always know.' _It keeps its eyes on Takane, not even paying you any mind as she tries to raise her arm.  
  
The witch lops it right off. _That_ makes you turn away.  
  
_'But even then, sometimes you have to take a leap of faith.'_ The incubator stares ahead, just waiting for you to make a move. To take the plunge. To make the leap. _'Is it now? Or will you regret it later? It's your choice. What wish will make your soul gem shine?'_  
  
It's only a few short seconds, but it feels like an eternity. Your jaw works fruitlessly as the witch reels its arm back as agonizingly slowly as possible.  
  
You can't come up with the words. You can't do anything right now. You can't think. You know what it's doing. You know what this thing is trying to get you to do. And the worst part is that it's working.  
  
You open your mouth and-  
  
_'Don't.'_  
  
There's a new voice. You hear Takane's voice. You hear her as the witch pulls its blade back in preparation for a deep stab. Takane has her right hand over her soul gem, already grabbing it tight for dear life with the last two functioning fingers on her left hand.  
  
It doesn't get to finish. The witch plunges its blade into Takane's chest, only to discover that the gem that was there a second ago is missing. It tilts its head, utterly puzzled.  
  
Then Takane lowers her arm. Her arm, which is now glowing. Her arm, which now has a repaired gauntlet on it. Her arm, which is lined with brilliant-orange rounds.  
  
Her arm, which fires right into the witch's chest. Brilliant flame blossoms out from the wound, its cape erupting into fire as the thing stumbles backward, clawing desperately at itself in a mix of agony and _rage_. It flails, its sword-hand slicing wildly at nothing in particular as Takane leans back against the wall.  
  
The witch finally escapes the inferno, but only after it rips the cape away from itself. The hand throws it into the sea and a huff of steam erupts from among the waves.  
  
The golden crown has melted, sloshing within the cauldron all around a single pearl. A singed pearl. The witch howls in indignation before coming down with another enraged strike.  
  
Except this one doesn't hit. Instead, what comes down is a single, gigantic blue sword through the top, down the bottom, right through the pearl. Followed by twenty crimson spears that all impale the witch in much the same way.  
  
The creature falls limp, body slumped against the waves before it sinks into the sea of clubs. The world around you vanishes, the shield-rafts dissolving as two armored figures, which you quickly recognize as your moms, slam into the ground as hard as they can.  
  
Your mama rushes over to you and Reika, while your mom runs over to Takane.  
  
"Holy shit Mina are you okay?!" Your mama looks you over quickly. "Did it get you are you okay?!"  
  
Your eyes dart around. You can't see anything else. The creature vanished. You don't know where it went.  
  
You look for Reika. She's curled up on the ground, staring forward at nothing. She's watching your mom holding Takane-  
  
_Takane._  
  
You whip your head back to see Takane on the ground, her arm still missing. She coughs; it's bloody and phlegmy. She was stabbed right through the _chest._ You saw it; she should be dead, she should be so dead.  
  
And yet she still moves her hand to her chest and taps her soul gem against it. Your mom puts her own hand atop it, and _immediately,_ Takane breathes in. Your mom brings Takane's severed arm to her right-hand stump. She's pressed it against the wound as she says something. Probably something about how Takane shouldn't have gotten herself too deep or something else awful.  
  
Except she's genuinely concerned. Your mom isn't yelling or screaming, she's...horrified. She's holding onto your girlfriend gingerly as she presses Takane's severed arm back into the stump. There's a few quick words and a blue glue, and it's suddenly back on.  
  
Your girlfriend flexes her fingers, obviously relieved. Well, except for the dried blood on her chin and the patch of crimson on her chest. She relaxes before Sayaka holds her tight in relief.  
  
And then there's you. You're just sitting here. You were why your girlfriend got so badly injured anyway. You even had the gall to think your mom was talking shit to Takane again. You didn't do anything.  
  
You had an opportunity to do something and you decided _not_ to.  
  
You did nothing. You are nothing. How fucking worthless are you?  
  
Takane almost got herself killed protecting you, you stupid piece of shit. You fucking piece of shit. You're such a worthless piece of shit. You're such a worthless piece of fucking shit and that's why you'll never understand the-  
  
"Minako?"  
  
You whip your head around to your mama. You forgot she was there. She must've been talking to you the entire time but you were just so focused on something else. You stare at her.  
  
"I'm okay," you lie.  
  
Your mama doesn't say anything back. Her brow is furrowed, her eyes are staring right into yours. She knows you're lying.  
  
Everyone knows you'd be lying.


	16. Old Fashioned

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Madoka, Sayaka and Kyouko have a discussion.

Your name is Sayaka. And you just saved your child and their girlfriend from a witch. You had a feeling it could happen. You had a feeling that things were going to crash sooner or later. But fuck, you didn't want it to happen this week. It's just been escalating.  
  
But that's secondary to trying to heal Takane's arm. It's a clean cut; witches don't usually have dull blades, unless that's specifically a theme, so it was pretty easy to line up the necessary nerves and muscles. A quick swipe of your arm and a reassuring word or five, and her arm is back in place.  
  
Really, the harder part was repairing the internal damage after she was impaled. You take a deep breath.  
  
"Are you okay otherwise? Nothing too bad?"  
  
"I was incapacitated." Takane coughs. "Didn't give up this time." She smiles.  
  
You wince a little bit at that. "How did it happen?"  
  
"They were falling into magic water. Didn't want them touching it. I protected them, then I blocked. It was sloppy and I got my arms broken."  
  
"There was nothing sloppy about it; you did your best." You mean it. You really mean it. Takane did her damnedest and protected Minako. Magi can handle themselves in a Labyrinth.  
  
Civilians _can't._  
  
"Did I?" she asks.  
  
"Well, you're all alive." You look at her. "And in my experience, 'in the nick of time' doesn't tend to happen that way."  
  
"I...well, I fired an incendiary round into the witch. That distracted it long enough-"  
  
"-For us to finish it off?" You smile at her. "Good thinking. It might just have saved everyone's lives."  
  
You offer to get Takane back to her feet, but she just pulls herself up. "I've never been that badly injured before." She wipes her brow. "Usually just a cut or a scrape or a broken limb but nothing like that."  
  
"Mitakihara is like that. The witches here are strangely hostile. At least, they are when they appear." You grab the grief seed. To your shock, it's still just a single witch. No Walpurgis, no extra seeds. You scoop the seed up and toss it to Takane.  
  
She catches it with her left hand; her soul gem is back in a ring around her finger. She quickly stuffs it into her school bag.  
  
Of course that just leaves Minako and Reika. A quick look to Reika shows her just staring at the asphalt before turning to Minako. Then to you.  
  
You realize then that you're still in fullplate armor.

You quickly move to Reika and drop to a knee. "Are you injured anywhere? Not hurt too bad?"  
  
"Y-y-y-y-you're...uh...u-uh..."  
  
"We're magi, yes." You look back to Kyouko as she puts her hands on Minako's shoulders. "We've been at this for a while."  
  
"S-super p-powers?"  
  
"Kinda, sorta, yes very much so." You scratch the back of your head. "We fight things like the monster you saw a minute ago. It's kind of a part of the job. It's dangerous, and most people don't live too long in a labyrinth."  
  
She looks at you like you've grown two heads. Then you hear a clanging sound nearby. Her head darts to the side of the sidewalk, where there is, in fact, a rat climbing out of a dumpster. She doesn't seem to relax at this.  
  
Girl's rattled.  
  
"It's miserable work, and the only vacation you have is family time. I wouldn't recommend it."  
  
"No kidding." She shakes her head. "I s-saw how bad Takane got fucked up. I-is this why Mina was really _off_ this morning?"  
  
You wince. "Yeah. It was."  
  
"Okay, cool." She stares ahead at nothing in particular. You follow her gaze to asphalt. Nothing on the asphalt, just the black street top. You put your hand on her shoulder.  
  
"It'll be alright now."  
  
"A-are there more?"  
  
You have a myriad of ways to answer this question, so you opt for the least horrifying answer. "Yes. There are. But Mitakihara is by far one of the safest in the world. The witches are nasty, but they're also rare."  
  
"Mmm...hm." She nods weakly. "O-alright."  
  
You look her over again. She keeps looking over your fullplate, like she really can't believe it's real. Or that you're moving in it like you would normally.  
  
You chuckle a little bit. "This outfit isn't normal for magi. Most of us usually look like something out of an anime." You crouch down and your armor softly slides against itself, clanking and grinding so faintly that you could never hear it over the din of the city.  
  
"But the only reason I have it is because I've been doing this for twenty years. It's cool, but it isn't worth the cost of entry."  
  
Reika stares at you, wide-eyed, slack-jawed, before she slowly nods. "Okay-u-uh Mrs. Miki-Sakura."  
  
You give her a nod and walk towards your kid and your wife. You're probably going to want to keep watch on Reika, make sure she doesn't contract. Lord knows Kyubey wouldn't let someone like her slip by.  
  
But Minako's more shaken. You know they are. Your wife's holding your child's shoulder, having already transformed out of her armor. You should probably do that too. You take a few steps towards your child and they're curled up into a ball.  
  
You're both in broad daylight, right next to the gaping hole in the ground that Walpurgis tore out twenty years ago that the city never bothered to fix; they just built around it. Midway there, your armor dissolves into blue, glittering smoke. Your black loafers hit the ground and you crouch down next to your child.  
  
"Hey." You press your hand into Mina's back. "You did the right thing, you know. You saved multiple lives today, you stayed safe, you did _everything_ right. You even avoided _it."_  
  
Their hands tighten around their knees. It's probably not what they wanted to hear, but it's still important that they hear it.  
  
"I know things are not okay for now. I know you feel awful, that you feel like shit and like nothing will be okay again. But I can tell you that it'll get easier with time." You really wish you could call Madoka right around now. Ask for some advice on how she dealt with Homura back in the day.  
  
It's been long enough that she's probably okay with Homura-related topics now. You hadn't talked to her about Homura in ages. It just never came up, and you don't know if that's on purpose or not.  
  
You take another deep breath. "Think we should go home?" you ask.  
  
"Y-yeah." You hear a sob.  
  
You slowly wrap your arms around their shoulders. When it seems like they're not throwing you off, you immediately finish the hug. Kyouko follows up by giving her own hug, and you keep yourselves around Minako's shoulders.  
  
They aren't crying full-bore. You've seen them like that, seen them just _sobbing_ after being rejected or being bullied or being treated like trash. This kind of crying? This quiet, understated sob is when they're trying to stay strong. This is when they're trying not to break under something overwhelming.  
  
You keep a tight hold on her for several more minutes. Finally, though, you do have to go back home. You ask Minako what they want for dinner. They just say whatever.  
  
You and Kyouko are going to make tempura. It's a mess, but you know Minako loves it when you cook it. And you have the ingredients anyway.

[=]

Hours later, and you're finally done cleaning the kitchen. Predictably, Minako ate it up. They poked at the food, trying not to look interested, but then you heard a loud, _thunderous_ crunch of bread crumbs and their face in a rice bowl.  
  
It was a nice, refreshing thing to see after everything that had happened today. The last thing you see is them in their bed, texting their girlfriend.  
  
You keep an eye on them as they stare at their phone. They wipe their eyes, and as you close the door, you hear them sobbing again. You shake your head and walk back to bed with your wife.  
  
She doesn't say anything as you scoot close to her, then she maneuvers your head on top of her chest. It's comforting, really. "Mnnrhgle."  
  
Kyouko strokes your hair. "Do you think we should talk to Madoka?"  
  
"Fucked if I know," you mutter. "She's so busy."  
  
"Well she's not too busy for you."  
  
"Yeah she is." You sigh. "That woman has so much shit to do and I'm shocked she kept in touch after all this time."  
  
"She still gets along with Mina. That's not nothing."  
  
You grumble.  
  
"What was that?"  
  
"She introduced Minako to _Death Grips_ and I will _never_ forgive her."  
  
Kyouko _cackles,_ head thrown back, fangs out, before she sighs. "Hey, don't knock it 'till you try it."  
  
"It sounds like _noise,_ Kyouko. It's just _noise."_  
  
"I'm sorry, Sayaka, I can't hear you over my superior gigabrain music tastes. I'm a fucking genius. My music is superior to, uh, what do you listen to?"  
  
"Koko, we listen to mostly the same kind of music."  
  
"My taste is still wider."  
  
"Mneh mneeenehe mneh mneh menhmneh."  
  
Kyouko gives you a chef's kiss. "Ah, alas, my wife, still immature, still so basic~"  
  
"I ain't basic, you're just nuts." You sigh.

It's been a minute, so you go ahead and pull your phone up. "I'mma talk to her."  
  
"Mina? With your phone?"  
  
You snort. "No, Madoka."  
  
Kyouko laughs. "Good thing I have a shirt on this time."  
  
You glance up at her, then sigh. "It ain't nothing she hasn't seen before."  
  
"Yeah, but that's different from just calling her. Christ, watch as she's working at home again."  
  
You click her icon and move the phone in front of you. The camera lens flickers into existence on the screen as you shimmy your way into just the right position so that you and Kyouko are in the same shot. The ringtone echoes for a few minutes, the icon rotates, before finally, she picks up.  
  
Her hair is in a lopsided bob; probably one of the most bi of bi hairstyles, and it's one that you helped her pick out. She's not wearing makeup today, and in front of her is a drink mixer and a single glass with an enormous, transparent ice cube, a curled orange peel, and what looks like fine, expensive whiskey.  
  


She's in a white shirt and a dark vest, blazer draped over her chair in a house that overlooks a gigantic, gaping ocean. "It's been a while." Madoka says. Her voice barely resembles her younger self; deeper, more full of meaning. At its core, it's the same girl you knew your entire life, but it's buried under years of gravel and exhaustion.  
  
"A few months, yeah?" You look down at the drink.  
  
She chuckles. "Oh, I made a couple of drinks. I had a visitor tonight and I made us a pair of _Old Fashioneds."_  
  
"...was it Homura?"  
  
Madoka swirls her cup in her hand. "No."  
  
You wince a little. Maybe they're not on speaking terms. "I was just, uh..."  
  
"Does your child date a magi?" Madoka asks. "I'm not exactly the best person to go to for advice about dating superhumans."  
  
"Yeah, they are." You sigh. "I was honestly calling to see how you dealt with it. You know, back when you and Homura were together."  
  
Madoka shrugs. "Again, not the best person to ask about that." She sips her drink. Her phone jitters a little when she puts it back down; it's probably propped up on some cheap stand. "But I can tell you that they're going to miss their partner and it'll eat at them whenever they're too far out. The guilt was unbearable. It's borderline choking and when I split with her it was a relief.  
  
"It was especially relieving when she stopped threatening me with witching out. When she stopped telling me that she couldn't live without me. When she stopped telling me she couldn't live without what she thought was me."  
  
She scratches her cheek. "I still miss that, though. Not going to lie, I still miss her a lot." She sighs. "The only thing that kept me from contracting on Walpurgisnacht, and every single other night she came back injured, was the fact that my contracting would literally end the world. On that note, I'm thankful my potential diminished. And by the time I _could_ get a contract, I didn't need it."  
  
She shakes her head. "I'm sorry. I get ramble-y when I'm boozy. Took the month off because I overworked myself again. Maybe a 90-hour work week was a bad idea? I'm lucky my boss actually understands ethical work stuff. I don't know. I don't know much of anything. Eh."  
  
"You've barely touched that drink," you say. "And you're not a lightweight."  
  
"Heh. Okay, maybe I'm not as liquored up as I said I was. S'only been a drink." She sighs. "I really need to try some different cocktail recipes. Did you know that Sangria popsicles are actually pretty good?"  
  
"Oh, they're great." Kyouko puts her head on your shoulder. "I put one in a margarita and it was delicious."  
  
"Ahhh, see, I think that's a little too much, but I can see why you'd do that." Madoka swirls her drink around before taking another sip. "But a good margarita is amazing. I actually managed to have one while I was in Texas to close a licensing agreement. They wanted to do the meeting in person and I mean, they were okay. Lot of men, though. Didn't expect me to play hardball and I think they were expecting my accent to be thicker." She smirks.  
  
<"They were weak sharks and I felt secondhand embarrassment watching them.">  
  
<"Putting my lessons to good use."> Kyouko taps her chest proudly.  
  
Madoka points a fingergun at the camera and finishes up her drink. "Darn right."  
  
You're not even going to try; you're only at the point where you can understand them. Your own English ability is...lacking. You can speak Mandarin just fine, though. "Oh, on a different note, there's another gang in Kasamino. We somehow missed it until they started trying to go overt."  
  
"Oh, shit." Madoka pushes the glass off-screen before grabbing a new glass and dropping a sugar cube in. "Did they hurt anyone this time?"  
  
"They got close, but no deaths so far. They're a bit strange. Leader supposedly has some kind of influencing power."  
  
"I thought mind control didn't work." She gets a bottle of bitters and taps it a few times, a couple of drops splashing right on the sugar cube. She takes a little thimble of water and pours it in.  
  
"Well, that's the thing. It doesn't." Kyouko rolls her shoulder on yours. "So we were thinking that it works off of suggestion...well, not suggestion. More like she has to convince people first?"  
  
"So like a cult leader." She smashes the sugar with a wooden pestle, and she initially moves for the whiskey before she stops herself. She sighs, pushes it away, and pulls out a bottle of rye instead. She mixes it quickly with a spoon.  
  
"Exactly." Kyouko sighs. "I know too much about this."  
  
"Huh." She drops a single, perfectly-shaped ice cube into the cup from off-screen and mixes it some more. "So you have a cult? Is she young?"  
  
"I met with her. She seems like she's in her twenties." You say. "Doesn't seem to understand that Kyubey doesn't only target girls."  
  
"Oh, so she's exhausting, too." She twists a pre-sliced orange peel just over the drink before dropping the spiraling slice right into the cup. "I bet she doesn't know what 'bi' means."  
  
"You have way too much experience making that drink," you say.  
  
"I have fifty-three cocktails committed to memory and I am going to _use_ that knowledge."  
  
Kyouko snickers. "When we do meet up, we'll have to go out for drinks. See if your stuff's up to snuff."  
  
"Go out? I can just make them right here!" Madoka laughs. "Or maybe we can meet with Homu," she says.  
  
You blink. "Oh, so you _are_ on speaking terms?"  
  
"Oh, yeah, we met again a month ago. Nothing too serious; just talking. Like friends." Madoka swirls her drink. "Okay, you were on the money. I met with her this night, actually."  
  
Kyouko clicks her tongue. "Is she...better?"  
  
"I've never seen her smile as wide as I did when I met her again. Hair in a bun, glasses, and we actually had a real conversation. An actual, honest-to-god conversation." Madoka sighs. "Her lips looked soft."  
  
"Hey, don't-"  
  
"I wasn't gonna kiss her there. She wasn't comfortable with that, and she said she wasn't going for anything monogamous this time."  
  
You sigh in relief. "I'm just glad she's okay."  
  
"Yeah. Same." Madoka swirls her glass. "How's Minako doing, since I mean, you said they found a magi S.O."  
  
"I'm actually gonna check on them right now." Kyouko wriggles a little bit. "Make sure they're safe and all that." She slides out from under you, and before she heads out of the room, she gives you a quick kiss on the lips.  
  
"Safe? You think they got a visit from Incubator?"  
  
"I know so. That thing is an opportunist." You scratch your chin. "Their girlfriend was horribly injured. I'm just worried that-"  
  
You hear footsteps immediately. Kyouko rounds the corner, stops right in front of the bedroom door. And Madoka can see your expression change from pensive, to worried, to _terrified._  
  
You know what Kyouko's about to say before she even says it.  
  
"Sayaka! Mina's not in their room!"  
  



	17. Cosmic Hero (Comic)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If you really wanna make it last, you should commit yourself completely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Please do change your theme to "Reversi" for the sake of readability; this is a comic and it was posted with a dark background in its original format, and for the life of me I can't figure out how to force a work skin to display with a dark bg]

[Their name is Minako, and they're running down the stairway as quickly as they can.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bbmK079bCs) Their phone was left in the room. They didn't want to be tracked. They think about that way too much as they run down the street in a terrible school skirt and a loose hoodie and a bad knee because holy shit they just realized how much it hurts to be in a shitty raft on a rocking magical sea.  
  
They stumble over themselves. They look over their shoulder.  
  
They'd seen too much. There's too much they want to do. Their mind goes back to Takane. To Takane lying on the ground. They think about how helpless they were.  
  
They think about how their moms want to keep them safe. They think about how every single thing they'd done to keep them safe was pointless because they found out anyway. There was no way out. There was no way this could have held together.  
  
There are very few ways for them to really deal with a world that they know is held together by toothpicks and duct tape and silly string.  
  
They round a corner; they're definitely not far enough away from their moms. As soon as they know that they escaped, they're gonna look for them.  
  
Mina really hopes their moms don't see this happening.  
  
In the middle of an alleyway, they finally come to a stop. Their feet slide across the ground. It's back behind a failing food shop; nobody comes here because all the produce is rotten and all the food smells and all the meat is moldy and the manager is a prick.  
  
Minako hates this place.  
  
It's perfect.  
  
They slide into place, take a deep breath. Finally, they turn.  
  
And of course, they see it.  
  
They see it staring at them in the dead of night, two beady red eyes cutting through the gloom.  
  
_'Have you come to a decision?'_  
  
It licks its paw and flicks at its left ear.  
  
Minako stares at it. The question hangs like a weight in the air. They keep their eyes on Kyubey. The creature doesn't nod, doesn't do much else but paw and claw at itself like a cat, but the movements are too perfect. Too regular. It flicks its ears once every five seconds, licks its paw every seven, flicks its tail every four. Sometimes, the movements are staggered if they would otherwise overlap.  
  
Minako takes a deep breath in.  
  
_'You get the power to protect the ones you love, but more importantly...' I_ t finally lifts itself up on all four legs _'...you get to **understan-'**_  
  
"Shut the fuck up." Minako raises their hands. "I'm not doing this for you."  
  
_'Of course not.'_ The creature flicks its tail. _'But I do know you're doing it to understand, even if just a little. Honestly, it_ is _interesting. You really are your mothers' child.'_  
  
Minako clenches their fists. "Have there ever been-"  
  
_'Children of magi? Yes. But the last child of a magi was well over a hundred years ago. He contracted, only to die the next day.'_  
  
Minako's eyes flicker towards the concrete, downcast.  
  
_'I said that there were risks. There is_ always _a risk. Being a magi is dangerous, lethal work. Everyone has said as much.'_  
  
"Do you really take their souls out of their bodies?"  
  
_'Of course. That's how being a magi works. The same vulnerabilities of the human body are what limit the strengths of the soul. The soul needs to be separated in order for its full power to be realized. And it needs to stay pure, or else the energy of the soul will become unstable. Your significant other was completely accurate.'_  
  
Minako keeps their eyes locked on the creature. They look up to the night sky, at the moon slowly drifting across. It's the Harvest Moon, massive and yellow in the night sky, hanging overhead in this filthy, grungy alleyway filled with decayed cardboard boxes and rotten fish and god it smells so _bad._  
  
But then they look down. "How strong would I be? I can't just sit back again. I don't want to do that again."  
  
_'You are the child of a magi. Rare and truly special, indeed. Two magi, two exceptionally powerful magi at that, and while only Kyouko carried you to term, soul inheritance is more than just genetics. You are a strong one, Minako Miki-Sakura.  
  
'But strength alone doesn't save magi. Are you still willing? Are you still able? Are you ready to dedicate yourself? To make the wish that will make your soul shine?'_  
  
Minako clenches their fists. They stare at Kyubey, then they open their hands. They think about everything that has happened these past few days. They think about how _everyone_ told them not to. Their mom said it was a bad idea. So did Takane.  
  
They said Kyubey was a liar. And, well, it is. To some extent.  
  
Contracting would be fucking stupid. It would be putting their own life at risk. No wish is worth it.  
  
No wish except...

  


  



	18. Interlude - Everyone's in the Glow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rin takes a ride.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warning: Misgendering and Bigotry

Kasamino is her kingdom. But she calls it a democracy. She is the queen. But her subjects all gave her the strength. She lords over her people. Because of course she does. She's the only person who knows how to run this godforsaken city, this world of broken girls just across the bay from _prosperity._  
  
It's her kingdom, but her kingdom is a pit. Toxic smog spews into the sky from a cage of towers at the edge of town, the streets filled with diesel trains and honking cars and people who either live in Mitakihara or would much rather be there. Below there are neon signs and glimmering green lights and smears of purple and blue. Even through her glass window, this high above the streets of Kasamino, she can still hear honking and shouting.  
  
Just outside, there are people still working in brutalist skyscrapers, desperately trying to close deals and meet impossible deadlines. A few are like Lady Rin, with a cup of tea in hand, just watching the people below scurry like ants in the dead of night. Perhaps she should feel guilt for looking down on the others below, but she has embraced her old role. She knows what she was.  
  
Further below, and there are ramshackle, garbage apartments, each with their own lights on. Conspicuously, some have smoke wafting out of their windows.  
  
With all this chaos and grunge, who wouldn't want to move?  
  
She muses on this, then she chuckles to herself. She already knows why they won't move.  
  
Her people need her.  
  
She rests in her bedroom at the high end of an expensive penthouse. Her room features an ornate Victorian desk, surrounded by stuffed animals and lace. She's dressed in expensive, pricey silk, sitting upon the bottom half of a bunk bed. Just above her, her sister sleeps. She raises her head to her twin's bunk.  
  
She presses her fingers to her lips and gives her a light _shush._ "Sleep tight, sweet." She slides her hands across the underside of the bunk, towards the window. She presses her fingers against the glass, taps a holographic button, presses a code and a timer.  
  
The window will close in fifteen seconds. It will reopen in two hours.  
  
That's all she needs.  
  
An opening large enough for her to walk through slides open from her place on the floor. In front of her, on a chariot of smoke and dust, is her right-hand woman. She curtsies. "Hana?"  
  
"They're ready for your speech, ma'am." Her rider stretches her hand. "Are you coming, Lady Rin?"  
  
["Of course I am."](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWIyWRD2CoM) She takes a step onto the smokey path. The moonlight passes from the shadow of the skyscraper onto her pale skin. She takes one step, then two. A brilliant white dress shimmers into existence, arm-length opera gloves of pure, gorgeous lace emerging unto her skin.  
  
Her lipstick glimmers. Half of her hair glows, while the dark streak turns pitch-black, dark enough to put a hole in reality. She slides her hand across an invisible rail before she enters the moonlight.  
  
And then she transforms. Six massive wings unfurl from her back, each lined with black eyes with white irises. Her dress explodes across her legs, her shirt turned into a short cloak with two billowing sigils. Her hair begins to float as though it were submerged in water. And finally she leaves the window, her feet gliding through the air as she simply floats ahead towards the rider.  
  


  
"Are the others there?" she asks.  
  
"Of course, ma'am." The Rider slides into her seat. "Now, what of the Congregation?"  
  
Rin taps her chin. "A bit of a shame that we had to lose an enforcer. A great shame, that one. There was also the matter of one girl who managed to witch at the edge of town. She will be greatly missed as well."  
  
"Ah, she learned about witches?"  
  
"That tends to be how these things work. The realization that not only was her wish ill-considered, but she had damned herself to oblivion."  
  
She slides into the open chariot before the entire thing rolls forwards through the skies.  
  
"There is a reason Incubator prefers to hide that particular truth." She turns to her co-rider. "Isn't that right?"  
  
 _'Of course.'_ The plush toy besides her rubs his face, licks his paws, and wriggles in his seat. _'The cycle of Magi to Witch is crucial for a healthy ecosystem. And that transition must be allowed to repeat. If a magi is left alive for too long, it leads to stagnation.'_  
  
"And that stagnation is incredibly unhealthy to your end goal, is it not?"  
  
 _'Correct.'_ The creature smiles. _'And speaking of end goals, I have recently contracted the Miki child. Their wish is successfully fulfilled.'_  
  
"They?" The girl pushes her hand into her chest. "Oh, bless her heart. She doesn't know her destiny."  
  
Incubator simply stares. _'The important part is that their wish is a stepping stone. It's a very, very important first step, possibly the most difficult of them.'_  
  
"Right, right." Rin rolls her feet. "So, what of my Congregation?"  
  
 _'Left alone. Their grief levels are stable, and will increase as normal when they leave your influence.'_  
  
"Excellent." The girl steps from her chariot as it stops at the radio tower, at the very tip top of the structure. "We will launch an opening salvo soon." She raises her hands. "The Mitakihara Magi will probably expect a war at some point. Things still need to be organized, attacks planned if we so need to.  
  
"Do you perhaps believe that Sayaka can be convinced of our cause?"  
  
 _'I believe that is impossible.'_  
  
"Ah..." Rin sighs. "A shame. I did not want to shatter that family further. But sometimes, you have to break a few eggs."

**Author's Note:**

> A thank you to both: https://twitter.com/icasttrish and https://twitter.com/novicewordsmith for helping to edit this story together! Without them it would not have been nearly as effective as it (hopefully) is.
> 
> Easy to Find was actually originally posted on Sufficient Velocity as a quest! It was completed earlier in August 2020. The votes have already been filled in and completed, and I will be posting it daily. I hope you like several months of posts.
> 
> You can read the original in its entirety here: https://forums.sufficientvelocity.com/threads/easy-to-find-sayakaquest-2.54887/


End file.
